How to print vibrant colour images

The professional term for ensuring colour prints look their best, is colour management. Colour management involves different steps, but the most important one is to use a colour profile per paper you intend to use.

Most inkjet photo printers come with the ability to print your photographs using the printer's built-in settings. These settings are hard-coded in the printer's firmware, and they often produce very nice results if you don't mind getting results that are nice, but not the best your printer and paper is capable of.

In order to get the best performance out of a printer, you need to allow the image editing (or DTP) application to decide how the colours will look. Programs like Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, and their siblings like Photoshop Elements and iPhoto, all enable you to set up a colour management workflow.

Setting one up is usually a simple affair, but if you have doubts, there are a few simple guidelines that will put you in pole position. The first is to choose AdobeRGB as your working colour space. If you don't have AdobeRGB, then use another large enough colour space. sRGB and your monitor's colour space are too small. Setting the working colour space simply involves selecting the profile with the name "AdobeRGB (1998)".

Then carefully read your program's instructions on choosing the right colour profiles for prints. Usually, this will amount to setting up your printer dialogue so that the image is printed using a colour profile that matches your printer AND the paper you're using. And here is something that you can do to dramatically improve the output...

The manufacturer of your printer will have included a whole bunch of colour profiles, but the truth of the matter is that those generic profiles will again not deliver you the best results in terms of colour brilliance. To obtain the best, you will have to create a colour profile for each printer/paper combination you're going to use yourself. That's one of the reasons why professional photographers can print such vibrant photographs. They use a profile for every different paper they use with their printer.

Creating such profiles is a bit difficult, and very expensive because you'll need specialist equipment to do it. Fortunately, there are a number of service providers who will create profiles for your particular papers and printer. You will have to send them a test chart that you forst printed on the printer/paper combination you want to use, and they'll process your target and send you back a custom profile.

If you want to learn more about how colour profiles can improve your photo printing, visit my online magazine. It contains a large database of information on the topic: IT-Enquirer.com

Combating Viruses with Security Software

Help, I was sitting in front my computer and it starting acting strange! Pop-ups were on my screen and I was not even surfing the web. My home page was changed somehow and so did other web settings. My programs are at a crawl and overall my computer is just not working the way it should be.

If this sounds like your computer, chances are you have been infected with some type of malicious software. Several types of software can infect your computer; some of these are spyware, a virus, a Trojan, and a worm. That is why you need security software.

Below is a brief and simple description of the software that can infect your computer and cause poor performance.

· Spyware is a program that gathers information about the user through the internet without their knowledge. It monitors your web activity and passes this information to another party without your knowledge. Spyware is designed for commercial gain, thus when it is installed in your computer you will probably receive unsolicited pop-up advertisements. It can also gather your email addresses, passwords, and credit card numbers stored on your computer.
· A virus is programming code or a piece of code that loads onto your computer without your consent. A virus is also self-replicating by inserting copies into an executable code or documents. Any virus is dangerous as it uses up memory and brings your system to a halt.
· A worm is much like a virus in the fact that it is self-replicating but differs in the fact that it does not need another program to do so. A worm can spread itself without any action from the user. A worm can attach itself to you address book and send a copy to everyone in it, then attaches itself to the receivers address book in addition, send it out to everyone in that address book. Worms are dangerous and in the end can cause networks to crash.
· Trojans are designed as legitimate software that you can download onto your computer. Once installed though, they can be annoying and/or malicious. Annoying activities of a Trojan would be changing your desktop around or silly icons appearing. Malicious damage from a Trojan is capable of deleting files on your computer and allowing personal and confidential information to be collected without you being aware.

Preventing spyware and other malicious software from infecting your computer through security software is lots easier going online and finding a reputable online scanning site after the fact. Sometimes if your computer is infected, you may not even be able to get online. Therefore, prevention is better than fixing.

You can protect your computer from malicious programs in many ways. Here are a few tips to consider.

Always have the latest version of anti virus and anti spyware technology on your computer. You will also need to keep the program files up to date in order to protect against newest threats.

Only download files from a trusted source. If you are not sure, run a virus scan on the file before downloading it or saving to your computer.

There are limitless resources on the internet offering anti spyware and antivirus programs. Many sites offer free online scans, and provide instructions for removal of any malicious programs on your computer. Once you have selected a well known, (well-known being the optimal word) follow the instructions for installation carefully to ensure that the scan will work properly. Below are the most common and well-known virus and spyware removal programs.

McAfee (mcafee.com) virus remover features up-to-date protection from the latest viruses and web activity threats for the user. They have three main anti-virus and anti-spyware programs that you can choose perfect for home and business uses.

Microsoft has an anti spyware (microsoft.com) removal tool that you can use to scan your computer. This functions mainly by reviewing and checking your files for unwanted software contents, and once found can be selected and removed depending on the procedures indicated on the program. Just follow the tools and guides on how you can remove the infected files.

Ad Ware Personal provided by Lavasoft.com features scanning and fixing infected files and drives, detection of known and unknown but potentially damaging software with its Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology. This program also has a spyware removal and capabilities of removing other damaging programs in your system.

The above sites are just a few of anti spyware and anti virus removal programs that are available on the web. Take the time and do the research and you will find the right security software for your needs. Once again, it is imperative that the site you select for your computer security is credible.

Voice Changers: Mission (not so) Impossible

Among all the latest gadgets Ethan Hunt and his team of secret agents lavish out in their latest Mission Impossible III, I am most interested in, perhaps, one of the less flashy technologies, voice synthesization. Within a half minute reading out a short note, the omnipotent villain Owen Davian has his voice programmed into a fine chip that, when attached to Hunt's throat, modifies the latter's vocal qualities to perfectly match his.

I come to appreciate the software engineers at Media Morpher or Audio4Fun or Voice Cloak for the galore of voice changer software products they have developed over the years as much as I am amazed at the extreme speed and precision of the Impossible technology. It is these tools that make real-time voice changing a Mission not so Impossible to an average person in the netizen community.

The Mission Impossible voice synthesization technology I adore above is more professionally known as voice comparator or voice changer. A voice comparator is a feature of voice changer software that, in effect, compares the vocal qualities of two parties and transmits the digital waves to the voice morpher. The latter then morphs one voice into the other's. A voice changer software allows users to perform the seemingly complicated task in real time within split seconds, while voice changer hardware could morphs one's voice over telephone lines or audio recordings.

Beyond synthesizing one's voice to match a particular other’s, voice changer programs could well help users customize their voices according to almost all sorts of preference, age, gender, and even non-human sounds. This is not done in a half minute, but instantly, or as soon as users are satisfied with the settings. In addition, voice changers are friendly to even dummy netizens as many include a library of pre-set vocal outputs for ease of use. That reduces the task of voice changing to a seamless process of clicking and speaking.

Don't take me wrong; I am not at all demeaning Hunt's gadgets with all these voice changer softwares. Mission Impossible III technologies are simply nothing less than futuristically awesome. What I'm saying throughout this article is that seemingly impossible tasks are not that impossible to us after all, if we care to look, beyond our little selves, into the world of friendly expertise around us.

About the Author:
Josh Nowell is a press correspondent for Media Morpher. He is an observer of technology trends and is keen on analyzing how technology could enrich the human life.

He could be contacted at media@audio4fun.com (Attention to Josh Nowell).

How To Build A Mortgage Calculator For Free in Microsoft Excel

One of the really cool parts aspects of Microsoft Excel is the functions Microsoft has created for you to use. This means that rather than have to develop a function from scratch you can use pre-built ones to do a plethora of tasks like Building your own Mortgage Calculator. The Mortgage Calculator or PMT function is just one of many Financial Functions available.

Okay, so how to build a mortgage calculator…

The first thing we have to do is to start by setting up a few basic headings. So lets begin by starting a new workbook and clicking in the first cell A1. Enter into cell address A1 the heading - Monthly Loan Repayments. Next off, enter into cell address A2 - Amount of Loan, cell address A3 - Interest Rate, cell address A4 - Length of Loan and then in A6 - Monthly Repayment.

In example mortgage calculator, we will take the Loan Amount, Interest Rate and Length of Loan and calculate your Monthly Repayment. Okay so in the corresponding field B1 enter the value of $200,000 and make sure you format the field as a currency. In cell B2 enter a value of 9.25% and format the field as a percentage and then finally enter in a value for the Length of the Loan as 25. The value you enter into the Length of the Loan field is in years.

Now its time to create the formula that will do your calculation for the Monthly Repayment. The function we will use for this calculation is called the PMT function. The PMT function always returns a negative number so one of the things we will need to do is to convert it into a positive number, but a little on that later.

There are three arguments we will use for this formula and they are -

= PMT(Monthly Interest Rate, Number of Payments, Amount Borrowed)

So to work out the Monthly Interest Rate we simply take the value in B3 and divide it by 12 - B3/12. The PMT function works on the basic of the number of payments you are going to make, so if we are going to make monthly payments on our mortgage we simply take the number of years in cell B4 and multiply it by 12 - B4 *12.

This means that to calculate the Monthly Repayment for our mortgage we need to enter the following formula -

= PMT(B3/12, B4*12, B2)

Now as I said before, the PMT function always returns a negative value, so to turn this into a positive value we simply type the PMT function with the Absolute Function encapsulating it as shown below -

= ABS(PMT(B3/12,B4*12,B2))

Simply type the formula above into the cell B6 and press the enter key. You must now format the cell address B6 as a currency and you can do that by simply pressing the Dollar Symbol on the Formatting Toolbar. As soon as you enter the formula and press enter you should get a result of $1712.76. If you do not get this answer, simply go back and make sure that you have entered the formula correctly.

The cool part about this Mortgage Calculator is that you can go back and change any one of the values in B2, B3 and B4 which are the Loan Amount, Interest Rate and Length of Loan to work out what your monthly mortgage repayments will be.

The cool part about this simple tool is that it tells you really quickly whether borrowing massive amounts from the bank is worth it and whether you can really afford that mortgage. Why not check out what your repayments will be if your interest rate went up by 2 or 3%, it can be really interesting to see the impact on your budget.

Simple tools like this can save you thousands of dollars and can also help you see what changes interest rates will have on your own budget. It is certainly worthwhile building yourself a Budgeting Spreadsheet and the mortgage calculator to work out just what you really can afford especially in these uncertain times.

Distribution Software: What Can It Accomplish For You?

Distribution software is loaded with excellent opportunities for you. First, consider the methods that you are using now. Are they the most effective? Do they supply you with accurate information in a moment's notice? Do they provide for you the most efficient and cost effective way of managing your business? If you have doubts, then the purchase of a distribution software is something that you should consider.

Here are some things distribution software can do for you:

• Most all of the software programs that you will find out there will provide for you an order processing and management application. This alone can organize you effectively.

• You will find that inventory control is also available and can offer you not only good quality inventory but also reliable numbers that you can count on.

• You will find that distribution software can handle just about all levels of accounting as well.

• Purchasing is usually included in it as well.

• Do you need help with customer service? Distribution software may include help for that as well.

• In management forms, it can handle finance management, warehouse management as well as supply chain management through effective and reliable methods and applications that you can call on any time.

• Sales are managed as well as allowing you to know what is happening with your business, up or down within seconds of requesting this information.

Although there are many various options available to you that may or may not include these elements in them, you are sure to find the distribution software that you need rather easily. In fact, you can often find those options that combine the elements that have the most effect on your business as well. In order to choose which is the right option for you, simply consider the features and applications they offer along with other factors such as price and ease of use. The most effective distribution software programs are those designed with the user in mind.

How To Buy The Right EMR Software For Your Practice

Implementing an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software in your office can be one of the most beneficial things you can do for your practice’s success. Unfortunately, buying the wrong EMR can be disastrous. To buy the right EMR you need to be able to see past the smoke and mirrors. Relying solely on your EMR vendor to make the right hardware & implementation recommendations can be a big mistake. Here are some tips you can use to help ensure a successful EMR implementation.

Set realistic goals. What do you wish to gain out of an EMR? Many offices purchase an EMR in hopes that it will provide them with all the benefits that were promised to them automatically. EMR can help you reduce your number of staff, reduce your expenses, reduce medical errors and reduce documentation time. To realize all these benefits you need to set milestones and implement the right plan.

Perform a cost-benefit analysis. All offices work differently and have different inefficiencies. It’s important to have realistic expectations of what type of Return on Investment (ROI) can be expected. It’s important to look into these items before you begin looking at vendors so that you have an idea of what type of budget you will have available for your EMR as the cost of EMR can range between $1000 and $45,000 and there is no silver bullet.

Seek out unbiased sources of information. Distilling fact from fiction in the medical software industry can be difficult. Even many of the awards that are given to the different vendors for their products are often very biased. The internet offers many unbiased information sources on EMR. You may also want to consider bringing in the expertise of an IT Company or EMR consultant to help guide you through the process of selecting the right vendor.

Leveraging hardware to improve your EMR functionality. It’s a great thing when you have technology on your side to manage your patients’ records and become more efficient. To do this it’s imperative to select the right hardware based off your office’s needs and user experience. Involve the right IT company from the beginning to ensure a successful implementation.

Log File UNIX Commands

One of the biggest parts of my job is managing website log files. Our business is very “marketing-centric”, so missing log file data isn’t expectable. There have been a few situations were log files have been split or broken. Below are three nice little commands which have helped tremendously.

Removes all log files with no data
find /home/httpd/logs -size 0 -type f -print0 | xargs -0 rm –f
This is a simple little command which helps keep things neat and organized. Once files rotate I’ve found a bunch of empty files on the folder. This really confuses some of the marketing people.

Converts log files extention into logical month.
for i in `dir /home/httpd/logs/*-access_log.1|sed s/\.1$//`; do mv $i.1 $i.feb; done
A little more complicated. Again, the overall goal here is to make the log files more friendly for marketing people connecting into the FTP server. I am converting the *.1 extension file created by the log rotate into *.month. I use this single line to change the extension on 300+ files. Works fantastic!

Combines log files with extentions .1.1 -> .1 and creates a new logical month.
for i in `dir /home/httpd/logs/*-access_log.1|sed s/\.1$//`; do cat $i.1.1 $i.1 >$i.mar; done
Here is the big daddy. One month because of a mistake the log files rotated mid-month. This would have been a nightmare to manually concatenate each file. This script above takes the files and combines them. Try to do this in windows!

For the most part I’ve learned to hate access logs. They are a big, always changes, difficult to backup, and from a technical perspective somewhat useless. These little few commands above however make life a little easier.