Photoshop Actions Madness

PHOTOSHOP MADNESS is where you practically go mad trying to find the most useful stuff for Photoshop out there among a jungle of bush-leagers, Rube Goldbergers, site scalpers, and domain kiters!

In our Twitter escapades, we found dozens and dozens of tweeters tweeting about these 150 Photoshop Actions. WOW -- what a treasure, we thought. However, after wasting about three hours sifting through the bungled mess, we came to the realization that 150 Photoshop Actions is seriously NOT what we wanted, and it would cost five times as much to sift through them as it would to actually do a few. Besides -- how many times do you need 150 Photoshop Actions to process a file? Actions are for bulk or repetitive tasks. And if you use these for bulk photos, you're going to have a pretty boring photo album. But that's another story.

Is it getting more difficult to believe news photos these days?

Is it getting more difficult to believe news photos these days?

Most people haven't noticed, but it's getting more and more difficult to recognize reality in photographic journalism. While the unwary public soaks up newspaper and broadcast news reports which show stark photography, those of us who know what can be done with today's software are taking a more careful look. A recent photo in the local newspaper editorialized the aftermath of a house fire. Most people looked at the story it told. I saw it -- but I also saw the affects of over-sharpening and was alerted that the image had been manipulated. As a journalist myself, I've come to scrutinize the images as much as the content.

 

Computer Threats Predictions for 2007

Computer Threats Predictions for 2007

Messagelabs runs an annual trend report that highlights the evolution of the threat landscape each year. They are probably the best to make predictions because they're on the leading edge of spam and computer threat science. And, of course, the complexity of attacks on your computer are predicted to continue in 2007

Messagelabs Predictions for 2007:

Drastic measures to shore up user base

Herein is the long and sad story of how spam and online crime have driven some ISPs to blind, extreme measures which threaten the very usability of the internet. AOL, one of the world's longest trusted providers can no longer be trusted. Their overzealous quest to sell accounts by offering "spam blocking" is having the effect of isolating their user base from other web users. The following is a saga I've followed first hand -- so I know it's sad but true.

Drastic measures to shore up user base

 

Upside-down pros and cons

BIG CHANGES ARE AFOOT IN THE WAY THE INTERNET WORKS and 'net neutrality' is a conundrum with so much misinformation, confusion and media lip service floating around that no one seems to really know what's going on. Two things are for sure: it is NOT going away, and it IS going to be a media feeding frenzy.

Upside-down pros and cons

This is going to be a long, miserable, and potentially damaging struggle; primarily because the two sides of the argument have gotten themselves upside-down. Those in favor of neutrality are crying: please don't regulate so the 'little guy' and everyone else can be free to do as they please. Yet those are the ones currently exploiting and profiteering off 'the little guy.'

Those against neutrality are crying: please regulate, we're getting the shaft here, and those people won't play fare. Yet these are the ones who NEVER play fare. 

What's rather ironic is that those in against it would normally be in favor of it, if it weren't the internet. More ironic is those who are in favor, are typically the arch rivals of the very same issues in the real world. If it weren't so serious, it would be comedy.