This new camera technology looks very cool and could change the way we all take and use pictures. According to the Lytro web site you can focus after you take the picture, yes after you take the picture and from sleep to snap in under a second. Instant on with no shutter lag.

Sounds like an amazing camera and I can’t wait to see how much these new Lytro cameras are going to cost. Head over to their web site and read more about this new camera.

I’ve also read a bit about another light field camera from Raytrix on their web site. Do you have any experience with these new light field cameras?

The versatility of clip art is important and does matter when certain needs must be met. Being able to download certain images in a specific format will save you time and money. With Graphics Factory, you can resize any image according to how you would like to use it.

Vector images use points, lines, curves, and polygons all based on mathematical equations to represent images in computer graphics. These images can be resized larger or smaller than the original image seen on Graphics Factory.

Bitmap images are an array of bits organized on a file format used to store digital images. These images can only be resized smaller than the image seen on Graphics Factory.

GIF’s (Graphic Interchange Format) are a bitmap format with color limitations. These limitations make it unsuitable for reproducing color photographs and other images with continuous color. A GIF formatted image is better suited for graphics or logos with solid areas of color. GIF images can be transparent. These images can only be resized smaller.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) are a most common image format used by digital cameras and other devices able to capture images. JPEG’s typically have little perceptible loss in image quality.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) are graphics when compressed, have no loss in image quality. PNG images can also be transparent. The image you see is the image you get; exactly.

Now that you have been educated on the different formats Graphics Factory has to offer, it will be easier for you to download the correct format to fit your specific need for that image.

Teachers and students both try to find ways to make their work or learning more interesting.  Teachers look for ways to keep their students interested and students are constantly trying to pay attention to a bland and boring homework assignment.

It would be nice to just insert a graphic on a homework sheet or syllabus to keep both students and teachers talking together about the same subject.  Clipart is great for keeping the interest of a student even if its just a few minutes.

It’s important for teachers to be able to capture a student and get them interested and talking about learning something new.  It’s true, a picture is worth a 1000 words.

Become a member of Graphics factory.  They offer affordable access to clipart images anytime, from any computer, anywhere in the word with the aid of internet access.

Have any of you noticed how the results in the Google searche change based on if you’re signed into your Google account or not, but they also change depending on other factors. Somewhere around 50 other factors in fact, so your search results are determined by these 50 factors not just the best search results. When did this start happening and why?

I do not want personalized results based on what I searched for before. I want the same results for everyone and I am thinking this is what everyone else would want too.

What do you think? Would you rather Google stick to standard results or personalize them based on 50 other factors?

Breaking News! Graphics Factory.com just released their new Instant Image Search tool. It makes finding images more fun and faster the ever before.

Stop by www.graphicsfactory.com today and try the new and improved image search engine.

There are gazillions of websites on the Internet that focus on every topic under the sun. What do 99.92 percent of them have in common? They use images and animations to help convey what they’re trying to say.

Think about it. When was the last time you picked up a newspaper or magazine that consisted of page after page of words without pictures? I’ll bet never. Both media use illustrations, photos, and graphics to break up the text and make it more appealing to read.

Same goes for the family newsletter that your Aunt Bertha sends out every Christmas. Right before the update on her bunion and right after she chronicles the latest accomplishment of Chester the cat, she probably inserted an image of one or the other. Hopefully the cat.

The images and animations you choose for your own project depends on the purpose of said project. A banker looking for a business card logo for a business card would probably stay away from dousing it with not-so-subtle “$” signs. Especially when trying to convey a professional feel.

However, if you’re a local car dealership and need a website designed to move cars off the lot fast, then go crazy with an animated dancing chickens or whatever your gimmick is this week.

The December issue of the company newsletter could get away with images of a candy cane here or a sprig of holly there, but probably not much more.

Remember, images and animations can add a lot to your project. But only if they’re used appropriately. And, in the case of animations, sparingly. After all, you’re using images and animations to draw the eye to your text, so people will read what you’ve written. Once they get to the actual copy, you don’t want them continually distracted by the rotating photo you’ve embedded in the upper left hand corner.

.co domain names

The newly released .co domain names are going fast. I think the .co domain has a good shot and giving .com some compatition. What do you think about the new .co domains? Think they will die like .info or become the next .com?

Get your .co domain today and stake your ground.

I know the .co domain is actually for Colombia, but I still think it has a chance to become a popular domain extension.

Google also announced that they will allow geotagging for the domain in webmaster tools. This allows you to target the .co domains for the United States, which will in turn show in Google search results for people searching within the United States.

Have you ever wondered what is in the water you drink? Well now you can know with a simple and affordable home test kit. I used it and found toxic levels of pesticides and lead in the tap water.

I’m going to order some more test kits to test bottled water and water from a filter system.

Have you done tests of your own?

You can do your own tests using the kits here.

P.S. I am not affiliated with the company that makes these test kits. I will not get any money or anything in return for posting this write up. I just found these test kits to be a useful product.

If you do your own tests post your results here.

Clipart can be used to create beautiful stencils, which, in turn, can be used to decorate walls, design borders, t-shirt designs, scrapbooking accessories and much, much more. It all starts with an idea…

Turning Clip Art into Stencils

Decorative stencils have been used for thousands of years to create beautiful art. Today, they’re used extensively for room borders, scrapbooking, and wall art. You can buy the stencils you want from any craft store or at an online stencil store. However, depending on size and intricacy, you could end up spending anywhere from $5 to $150 or more for a single stencil.

With clip art and a little bit of ingenuity, however, you can create beautiful stencils for any purpose at a price even a tight budget can afford. Here’s how:

• Clip art (you can download for a FREE TRIAL at Graphics Factory)
• Stencil sheets (you can get a pack of ten sheets for less than $15.00 from a local craft store or find other options online) or use construction paper.
• Scissors ($1.00 – $5.00 anywhere)
• Utility or X-acto knife ($4.00 anywhere)

Taking the highest price, you can easily end up with ten high quality stencils for $20 – more if the designs are small. You can make your chosen stencils as small, large, intricate or colorful as needed for your particular purpose.

Many types of stencil sheets can be used in a printer, which makes it extremely easy to transfer the clip art to the sheet. Once the design is printed, you simply cut out the design (remember that you only cut out the parts you want to trace) with your knife and you’re ready to go! You can save the leftover stencil material for small designs, as well.

From decorative designs to whimsical backgrounds, clip art is the affordable answer to fantastic wall art – or scrapbooks, chairs, rugs, t-shirts, stationary, diaries, greeting cards, coffee mugs, newsletters, and much more…  What are some things you’ve used clip art for? Share your craft projects with us.

Google Gmail just release a new feature that allows you to drag and drop images directly into your Gmail message. Awesome job Google! This will make it easier for everyone to insert images into their Gmail email messages, which I think this is a great new feature.

What do you guys think?

Rob G.