Formula 1 restricted by push for road car tech says Webber

Formula 1 restricted by push for road car tech says Webber: "

Formula 1 racing driver Mark Webber has told T3 he believes F1 is spending too much time developing technology for future road cars and not on racing.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s British Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Australian Red Bull Racing driver said whilst technologies that filter down to road faring vehicles are a by-product of Formula 1, the sport should not be based around enhancing these technologies.

Related links

• F1 Tech: Inside a Formula 1 steering wheel


• F1 Gadgets: Tech made from an F1 racing car


• F1 2011 screenshots unveiled ahead of game's release

“The technology shouldn’t really be taken into consideration because it’s a car race in its purest form,” said Webber. He added: “that type of technology restricts us in a performance aspect.”

With eco-friendly engines set to be introduced to F1 in the coming years, the pinnacle of motor racing is set to go green in order to set a good example and further the research into carbon-friendly vehicles.

“We have 20 events a year, there’s more fuel burnt by aeroplanes taxi-ing out to runways so it’s absolute peanuts what we do in the scheme of things, it’s more of a messaging thing obviously,” said Webber on the F1 green initiative.

“If you want to have that technology helping road cars, there’s no better place than F1 to put it."

Should Formula 1 be pushed into furthering the possibilities of road cars or should it concentrate solely on the racing experience and let technologies filter down naturally? Share your thoughts on the matter with us via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Posted by Luke Johnson"

D-Link brings the Boxee Box remote to PC, Mac users

D-Link brings the Boxee Box remote to PC, Mac users: "

Boxee users on PC and Mac should no longer feel ignored, with promises of updated software on the way and now the option to use a Boxee Box remote from D-Link. The two sided QWERTY design is unchanged and the included RF dongle means your HTPC can stay safely out of sight while you enjoy some branded remote control action without selling out for a one-size-fits-all box. The roll your own media player crowd can pick up the remote at a penny under $50 at a variety of online retailers right now, the long awaited software update is still due this fall.

Continue reading D-Link brings the Boxee Box remote to PC, Mac users

D-Link brings the Boxee Box remote to PC, Mac users originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to photograph children {and other stuff} indoors

How to photograph children {and other stuff} indoors: "

When you Google about photographing indoors, one of the most unmistakable feelings you come away with is that you can’t do it with your existing equipment. Kit lenses aren’t ‘fast’, they don’t shoot in a wide open f/1.4, you don’t have a big external flash. All of these things can leave you feeling helpless to take great photos indoors. The catch with kids is that they move fast so a slow shutter speed isn’t always an option. Or maybe it is? Here are my 5 top tips for photographing children indoors using your existing equipment:

1. Shutter speed – I used to think I couldn’t capture motion with anything less than 1/100th. But at times, 1/60th has been just fine. Test and see how slow you can actually go.


2. Aperture – Open it up as much as possible. Most lenses will allow a more open aperture when zoomed all the way out (wide) than when zoomed all the way in (long) so don’t zoom in if you want to maintain an open aperture to let in enough light. Kit lenses often suffer from distortion at their widest settings, but you can fix that in Photoshop like this easily.


3. ISO – For newbies to shooting in manual, there’s a setting called ISO. The higher up you go in number, the more sensitive your sensor is to the light. You can go from 100 to 12,000 on some cameras. On entry level DSLRs, 1000 is a pretty safe area to stick around unless you’re ready for some ‘noise’ in your photos which manifest themselves as grain. And this grain can be shocking at 100%, but don’t pixel peep. Try printing some photos taken at really high ISOs and see how they look.


4. Light – Add light to a dim room. Floor lamps, overhead light, windows. We want to get away from using the pop-up flash as much as you possibly can so see what light you can add. And try to keep them the same light temperature. That is, don’t bring fluorescent (cold) light into a room with general household lights or window light (warm).


5. Modify your pop up – I use something called a LightScoop indoors. It’s an amazing and surprisingly cheap little gizmo for dispersing the light from your pop-up so you don’t end up with deer-caught-in-headlights look.

If you do find yourself wanting to explore other lenses, many photographers have had great luck with the ‘nifty fifty’ 50mm f/1.8. It costs less than $100 and is a fun place to start exploring with wide open apertures.

Post from: Digital Photography School's Photography Tips. Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips, Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras.

How to photograph children {and other stuff} indoors

What Kind of Maintenance Do I Need to Do on My Mac? [Ask Lifehacker]

What Kind of Maintenance Do I Need to Do on My Mac? [Ask Lifehacker]: "

Dear Lifehacker, More »

How to go Beyond the Regular Composition Advice for Getting the Best Shots of your Kids

How to go Beyond the Regular Composition Advice for Getting the Best Shots of your Kids: "

A Guest post by Rachel Devine

If you search for advice on how to take better pictures of children there are certain gems that are sure to appear on any list of tips. “Get on their level” and “Get Closer”, are the two that come to mind right away and they are both solid ways to improve your kid shots. Let’s look first at why these work and then how to expand those ideas to create infinitely more interesting images.

The top tip on any list you find is often going to be “Get on their level”. There is a reason that it should be as it is great advice and will make a big difference immediately. If you get down on the same level as a child to take their portrait, you give them power by allowing them to look into the camera straight on. Kneel down so that you become the same height as the child. Chat with your subject and engage them before just going right into taking their photograph. When the time is right, lift your camera and ask the kids if they can see themselves (or a fairy or a pony or any other magical subject) in your lens to get direct eye contact.

Photography is a visual language and the angle with which you shoot the photograph is an integral part of the structure of your story you are telling. Think of composition as part of the “grammar” of this language and that the choices that you make should serve a purpose. Photography is a common language that even kids can understand and when you make the effort to physically go down to their level you are showing them a certain respect.

Tech tip: Use a long lens so that you can put some distance between the camera and the child’s face. That is just another layer of respect.

Once you have begun to incorporate the “Get on their level” angle into your regular routine, here are four other ideas to break the cycle of the adult eye level shots:

Over Their Shoulder: You are down on their level, you have taken a straight on portrait, now move around the child and have a look at what they are doing. Immerse yourself in their world and let your camera see what they see.

Tech tip: If you have a fast 50mm lens, use it now and include some of the child in the frame. If they are busy, you will need to use a faster shutter speed to freeze the motion. Using a fast 50mm lens means you will be able to open up the aperture to allow you to use that faster shutter speed indoors and avoid triggering your flash.

Go Low: Kids are short and you may have gotten on your knees to get their eye level, but now, go further. Come on, you can do it, lie down. You may be amazed at what the world looks like from the ground. Babies tend to hate tummy time, but if you get down with them, they may even enjoy it more and you can end up with some wonderfully funny faces. Or, how about that mountain of toys on the playroom floor? You think it looks bad from where you are standing? It is massive from down here!

Tech tip: Keep your aperture as wide as your lens will let you go so you can blur some of the floor in the foreground of these shots. That will help you isolate your subject even more.

Bird’s Eye: Breaking the adult’s eye level angle is not always just about sitting “criss-cross applesauce” or laying on the floor. It is about carefully observing the world that your child inhabits. It may be the same one as you, but it sure can appear different when you make an effort to look from unexpected points of view. Climb (carefully!) up above the kids and shoot directly down on mealtime, playtime, naptime, story time or bath time…anytime really. I have balanced (carefully! yet precariously) on the edges of various bathtubs, crib railings and dinner tables to get some of my favorite shots. It may be easier to grab a step stool though.

Tech tip: Use the widest focal length that you have and really get a sweeping scope of the children in their environment. Just watch out for your own feet getting into the frame.

Reflections: Use reflections to not only capture yourself with kids, but to catch their expression when they don’t realize the camera is trained on them. You don’t need a house full of mirrors to do this either. When you start looking, you will find shiny surfaces all around you.

Tech Tip: Show yourself in the shot. Set the camera to closest subject auto focus mode and take the camera away from your face before you press the shutter button.

Almost as often, when searching for ways to improve your photos of children, you will be told to “Get closer.” Children’s faces are so perfect and beautiful that it is great advice for you to fill the frame with them. Isolate the tiniest of details by photographing in close on things like newborn lashes, pursed toddler lips going in for a kiss or the drips of a juicy orange picked right from the tree. These shots make for beautiful additions to your collection of images.

Tech tip: Use a macro lens, close-up adapter (or the little flower icon for point and shooters) to get the closest focus possible.

Far Away: Now that you have that powerful and fantastic full frame eye contact shot of your child, step back and let the kids in your photos breathe. You will need to really step back and feature the children in their big world. This angle will emphasize their smallness, but their confidence at being alone in the frame will be their strength.

Tech tip: Use color and negative space well. A messy shot will not be as powerful.

Image by Peta Mazey

Rachel Devine is an international commercial kid photographer and daily life photo blogger from the states. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia. Rachel and Peta Mazey are the photography duo behind “Beyond Snapshots”. They teach and mentor (in person and online) photographers of all levels on how to take better photographs of life. Their book will be published next year on Amphoto/Random House.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips. Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips, Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras.

Tilt-Shift Apps for the iPhone

Tilt-Shift Apps for the iPhone: "

A Guest post by Patrick Ashley from Tiltshiftable. Check out his previous Introduction to Tilt-Shift Photography which is Part 1 of this series.

It seems that about the only thing it can’t do is brew coffee; but there will be a new model out in a few months, and if it has a coffee brewer, I’ll marry it.

I’m talking of course, about the iPhone, Apple’s juggernaut in the the smart phone world, the electronic gadget I can’t live without. Pacemaker? I can live without it; iPhone, no. The reason is, because I’m a photographer, and thanks to the iPhone, I always have a decent camera with me where ever I go. Is it my Nikon? No; but in many ways, I have more fun with the iPhone camera than my Nikon.

At my blog, tiltshiftable.com, I deal only in the photographic effect of tilt-shift, that is, making real world photos appear as though they are photos of miniature subjects (tilt shift lenses are also used for controlling perspective). When I first started tilt-shifting photos, they were done in Photoshop with some fairly horsepower-intensive filters, such as blurring on a gradient. Saturation levels are increased, and curves are curved, and sometimes the blur isn’t where you want it in the photo, which means you start over again. Jeez, too bad you can’t take a photo on the iPhone, and just tilt-shift it right there, but that would take too much horsepower, and that’s asking a lot of a phone.

Well, silly me.

Turns out there ARE apps out there – and good ones – that let you do just that. Even more mind-blowing is you can post-process videos into tilt shift movies! What’s next Apple, weather modeling?!

So let me give you a run down on the photo tilt-shift apps out there, and you can have even more phone on your phone.

TiltShift Generator – Fake Miniature

Art & Mobile

Well done, complete package – except perhaps for a more adjustable focus band.

Pros: Load photos from your camera roll (not available in free version), or take a new one with their camera. Adjust where the focus band is to be placed, set blur, contrast and saturation. Vignette feature. Export to Mail, Twitter, Facebook. Save to Camera Roll.

Cons: Focus band can’t be set to an angle, or tapered.

TiltShift Video

Fidel Lainez

Primarily meant for video obviously, Tiltshift Video also does a great job with photos. The video portion of this app will be reviewed in my next article about Tilt Shift Video apps.

Pros: Very adjustable focus band – can tilt and taper, change shape from a bar to circle or elliptical. Control brightness, contrast, vignette, saturation, blur amount and smoothing (blur gradient).

Cons: Interface needs to be polished; lacks that professional look. Can’t export directly to Facebook, Mail, etc. Once the focus band is in place (the last step) you can’t go back to change it if you aren’t happy with it’s placement – it simply saves the image. Should present you with a preview image, then allow you to save, or go back. Focus band placement should be first.

Tilt Shift Focus

devLUX

One trick pony – simply applies a graduated blur band. Saturation control is required for a tilt shift photo.

Pros: Different blur bands, which are easily adjusted.

Cons: No contrast, saturation or blur controls; can’t export to social media.

Tilt Shifter

Sednia Labs

Simple app, no frills.

Pros: Adjustable focus band.

Cons: Can only load previously taken photos from the Camera Roll, not albums; No focus band guides; No contrast, saturation or blur controls. “Tilt” control should be re-named “blur”; can’t export to social networks.

TiltShift

Imimux

Full-featured app, one of the top three.

Pros: Different blur bands, which are easily adjusted; different blur types; different aperture types, bloom control; in-app help; pre-loaded test photos.

Cons: A cropping tool would be a nice addition; can’t export to social media.

Tilt-shifting is really a simple concept – define a narrow band of focus, and apply a high-quality blur gradient to the remainder, add saturation and curves, and there you have it. Three apps do tilt-shift very well – TiltShift by Imimux, Tilt Shift Video by Fidel Lainez, and Tilt Shift Generator by Art & Mobile. There are many mediocre and just plain bad ones, which I didn’t include in this piece.

The one feature that I would have liked to have seen is a curves control. This is just like contrast, but you can control the contrast in defined tonal ranges – usually the very light portions of the photo. High contrast in that range really goes a long way in providing that miniature effect of tilt-shift.

All-in-all, it’s still amazing that we can do tilt-shift photography on a little gadget that supposed to just make phone calls.

In the next article, we’ll explore creating tilt-shift videos on the iPhone.

Patrick Ashley is the editor and founder of TiltShiftable.com. He lives in Pittsford, New York.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips. Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips, Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras.

Tilt-Shift Apps for the iPhone

"

WHS Migration Assistant Pro 1.01

WHS Migration Assistant Pro 1.01: "

Mediadogg Software have just released Windows Home Server Migration Assistant Pro, a tool to help you in the planning of the data move from WHS v1 to WHS2011.

In addition to the planning functions, the WHS Migration Assistant (WHS2WHS) has functions for partially automating the actual data movements and other functions for saving, restoring and printing multiple plans. And although WHS2WHS Pro does not directly copy, erase nor move any data. It provides a planning template as well as a framework for invoking other tools, using the plan as a guide.

Here’s the details:

Method of Operation:

Think of the move operation as going from left to right. WHS2WHS presents a screen that shows the shared folders from the source WHS system on the left, and the Volumes (drives) associated with the WHS 2011 system on the right. This is due to the fact that WHS 2011 uses a different scheme for managing shared folders. Instead of locating folders on a large pool of data that Drive Extender maps onto multiple drives, WHS 2011 requires the administrator to allocate shared folders to logical disk volumes, which usually correspond directly to physical disk drives, but not necessarily. Technologies such as RAID can be used to create logical volumes with various reliability and performance attributes comprised of multiple physical drives. WHS 2011 works with the logical drives (or “volumes”).

WHS2WHS supports two basic scenarios for operation:

A. Both Source and Target folders are network shares (e.g. “\\SourceServer\Movies” and “\\TargetServer\Movies” )

B. Source folders are network shares and Target folders are WHS 2011 folder names on local volumes (e.g. “\\SourceServer\Movies” and “D:\\ServerFolders\Movies” )

WHS2WHS automatically formats path names to handle these scenarios, regardless of where the tool is running, with one exception: In the case where WHS2WHS is running directly on WHS V1, you must select the Option: “Force Target Paths to WHS 2011 Format”, on the Options Menu. This allows you to install WHS 2011 volumes on WHS V1 and high-speed copy data from WHS V1 shares.

Migration Steps:

These steps assume that a working, operational WHS 2011 system has been setup and tested. It must be stable, and should have been making regular system (C: drive) backups, with no errors, for at least a week. Optionally, clients can be attached and backups started. By the time the planning and data movement have been completed, you will then have one or more backups of your client computers. Again, this is optional. This can be done after the other data has been moved.

1. Plan the placement of folders on a set of drives / volumes that you will configure on WHS 2011. Keep in mind that in WHS 2011, the largest block of data that can be backed up is 2TB, whether it be a set of folders or a complete drive. Multiple backup locations can be defined, and other techniques may be employed to make periodic, incremental backups of server folders. WHS2WHS allows you define volumes, then drag and drop folders into the volumes. You can play around with various schemes until you are satisfied. Nothing is actually being moved – it is just a plan. You can print the plan to keep track of your progress, and you can even modify the plan as time goes on, if you change your mind. It is advisable to keep a plan that reflects the target scheme.

2. On the source WHS Server, organize existing folders to exactly match the planned set of target folders. Folder names should match, for easiest migration. However, if Beyond Compare is used, WHS2WHS pauses at the Beyond Compare dialogue, giving an opportunity to make adjustments (e.g. WHS V1 “Photos” needs to copied to WHS 2011 “Pictures”). If you have online backups, such as a secondary WHS server, verify that the data you intend to copy to WHS 2011 has been backed up, and is in sync with the latest backup copy. In my case, I discovered a number of inconsistencies that had accumulated over 2 years – probably due to power glitches or hard drive errors, and my mistakes in setting up RoboCopy scripts. I am clearing these up as I go through the data migration.

3. Manually, or using the assistance of WHS2WHS Pro, start copying data from the source WHS to the target WHS 2011. After confirming that the data has been copied and verified correct, using any method, you will then erase the old copy of the data. On the source WHS system, you must then “Remove” a drive that with then be available to add to the WHS 2011 system. If you have a large amount of data, and large folders, this will require a skillful manipulation, so that there is always enough space on the target to complete the planned copy process.

You should have backups of all data being copied, even if you have to do it step by step, reusing the a spare external drive. Backup, then copy, verify, then erase the old copy, then on to the next chuck of data. You can remove drives from the source WHS system as a result of turning off folder replication after first ensuring that those folders are backed up elsewhere. It will be a personal decision as to whether any data pruning should be done prior to the move. If you are like me, the is an increased opportunity for mistakes when so much is going. I plan to blindly copy all the data over, and after running stable for awhile, then start a cleanup process.

Alternate Migration Process

You might wonder why WHS2WHS has not been implemented as an Add-in. My feeling was the most important thing missing was a way to organize and plan. There are many options for actually copying / moving the data. So WHS2WHS is primarily a planning tool. The available Disk Management Add-In is the perfect companion to WHS2WHS for users that prefer an add-in approach. In the case, the steps would be:

1. Same as steps 1 and 2 above.

2. Install WHS 2011 formatted drives on WHS V1, with folders already prepared (DO NOT add them to the DE storage pool).

3. Using the Disk Management add-in, manually move or copy the appropriate data from WHS V1 shares to the WHS 2011 volume.

4. Re-install the WHS 2011 volume back into the WHS 2011 server, verify the results, then repeat for the remaining volume(s).

Basic Features of WHS2WHS

· Drag and drop folders from the source to the target.

· Drag and drop folders between disks on the source.

· Manual edit of volume / drive properties such as drive letter, volume name and free space (GB)

· Manual edit of folder path names and size (GB)

· Ability to create text notes for each volume, e.g.: “This volume is a RAID 5 of 4 – 2TB drives, yielding 6TB usable”. Use only for non-criticaldata.

· Automatic recalculation of free space as folders are moved around

· Optional automatic discovery of folders on the source WHS server (whenever server name is updated)

· Optional automatic discovery of volumes on target WHS 2011 server (context menu)

· Optional automatic discovery of servers in network (right click on group box)

· Ability to use multiple credentials for discovery: source user/PW, target user/PW and alternate user/PW

· Optional automatic discovery of folder sizes (slow for large folders)

· Double click opens a network share

· Built-in screen view. Print this view to use for notes on progress.

· Plan is saved and restored between sessions. The plan can also be reset.

Additional Features of WHS2WHS Pro:

Advanced users, consultants and corporations may find the functions of WHS2WHS Pro useful.

· Load / Save multiple migration plans, by name (XML format).

· View / Print Log for diagnostic purposes (e.g. failed copy operation.)

· Automatic invocation of Microsoft RichTools RichCopy (“RoboCopy” successor): this process starts immediately upon confirmation. Real-time copy progress is provided

· Automatic invocation of Beyond Compare data tool. After conformation, Beyond Compare displays its dialog, whereupon additional tweaking of filters and any operations can be performed manually prior to starting the actual copy. Real-time copy progress is provided.

· WHS2WHS looks for RichCopy and Beyond Compare where they are normally installed on 32 bit systems. If WHS2WHS does not find the programs automatically, there is a menu option for manually specifying the location of those programs. I have found both of these tools to be invaluable in managing my data. Beyond Compare, in particular, has an astounding number of ways to compare, copy, view and validate data.

· Ability to call a custom script as part of the copy process. Your script may be called from within the CustomCopy.bat windows batch file, located in the WHS2WHS installation folder. The following parameters are passed to CustomCopy.bat:

%1 = Source (WHSV1) Path (Folder being copied)

%2 = Source User Credential

%3 = Source PW Credential

%4 = Source Dns Hostname

%5 = Target Path (Destination Folder for files from Source Folder)

%6 = Target User Credential

%7 = Target PW Credential

%8 = Target Dns Hostname

%9 = Target (WHS2011) Drive

Windows Home Server Migration Assistant Pro is available for individual use at $15.95 whilst a consultants license is $49.95 and a enterprise license is $499.95

WHS Migration Assistant Pro 1.01 is a post from: MS Windows Home Server - Your Personal Guide to MicroSoft Windows Home Server!

The Features of Windows Home Server 2011

The Features of Windows Home Server 2011: "

PCWorld takes a look at Windows Home Server 2011 and its features and asks if its worth upgrading to if you are using the current version of WHS.

Lloyd Case then takes us through a basic setup of WHS2011 using a mini-ITX setup, to see how things have improved.

You can read Lloyd’s article here.

The Features of Windows Home Server 2011 is a post from: MS Windows Home Server - Your Personal Guide to MicroSoft Windows Home Server!

Download the HTG Photography Cheat Sheet (Wallet-Sized!)

Download the HTG Photography Cheat Sheet (Wallet-Sized!): "

Made for the photographer on the go, our newest HTG Cheat Sheet is designed to be printed and is conveniently credit card-sized to fit in most wallets. Carry critical photographic info with you wherever you go!

For the newbie photographer or the quick reference for the DSLR aficionado, the How-To Geek Photo Cheat Sheet will make your life easier with critical information to help you take better pictures. Whether it’s common aperture full stops, camera white balance settings, or the common exposure value table, the How-To Geek Photo Cheat Sheet is a great addition any the photographer’s wallet.

Soluto Solves PC Crashes and Speeds Up Boot Time. Download It Now!

Soluto Solves PC Crashes and Speeds Up Boot Time. Download It Now!: "

Troubleshooting an application crash is one of the most frustrating tasks for the everyday geek, but now Soluto has upgraded their already-awesome boot-speed-up application with an application crash analyzer—and it helps disable browser add-ons too.

If you haven’t installed Soluto yet, you should grab your own copy right now—if you already have it installed, you should be upgraded at some point today automatically. You’ll just need to restart Soluto to get the new features unlocked.

Note: Soluto is completely free, and our friends at the company assure us that this application will be free forever. We at How-To Geek absolutely recommend this software, and the people that made it.

The Coolest Festival Tent? The VW Camper Tent

The Coolest Festival Tent? The VW Camper Tent: "

If you’re attending any festivals this year this has got to the coolest canvas to camp out in, say hello to the VW Camper Van Tent.

Officially licensed by Volkswagon the VW Camper Tent is a full size replica of the 1965 Camper Van. Available in yellow, red or blue, it is certain to stand out from all other tents. Like the VW camper van the VW tent is large enough to stand up in (5 feet and 11 inches), and internally is divided into two rooms, sleeping 2 people in each one.

The VW Camper tent is available on pre-order from Firebox for £299.99 (approx $486) and will be available from August 25th 2011, just in time to catch the end of the festival season.

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