Tech Flashback: The Lethal Weapon series 1987 - 1998 Part 3

Category: Tech Today

Continued from Tech Flashback: The Lethal Weapon series 1987 - 1998 Part 2

In this series of articles, we continue our look at how technology is touched on by an unlikely movie franchise: the Lethal Weapon series.

Lethal Weapon 3 was released in 1992, so it's not surprising when Rene Russo's Internal Affairs character boots up to a green screen computer to tap into a text-only database. Russo's Lorna Cole uses a NEC IBM PC compatible machine, a desktop model which was already available in most government offices by the late 1980s. Banks and health insurance companies used a similar database than the one briefly shown in Lethal Weapon 3 and the text-based interface did not evolve much even after the arrival of "Wintel" systems. The commands and interface used in the database were not nearly as simple as the ones shown in the film and it was very easy to get lost in the maze of screens and commands you can use (I was working with a similar interface for a bank back in the day).


Screencap from Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)



Two PC's are visible in this scene with Lorna and Riggs.
Screencap from Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

Jack Travis, the film's antagonist, remarks "The world of computers" when asked how he was able to find out the location of the firearms stored in the police department's supply room. Unlike future cop films, no movie "hacking" was required nor the presence of a now-formulaic genius hacker character. Travis was only able to access the police department database because he was an ex-cop. Although this is a small plot point in Lethal Weapon 3, this proved the movie was ahead of its time and was more authentic than later movies in depicting the role of computers (a less believable and contrived use of this plot device was used in Will Smith's Bad Boys in 1995)

As a footnote, the police force in the movie Basic Instinct (1992), makes use of pretty much the same IBM clone to research Sharon Stone's and Jeanne Tripplehorn's psychotic characters though a bit of cinema magic was used to embellish the police records. Some early episodes of MacGyver (1985-1992), in contrast, featured a more diverse set of machines including Amiga, Commodore, IBM, and early Apple computers.


Screencap from Basic Instinct (1992)



Screencap from Basic Instinct (1992)

Three Stooges

When Lorna and Riggs head back to her apartment, Riggs playfully messes with Lorna's home PC. The desktop wakes up to Cinemaware's classic The Three Stooges game, which was then available on Apple, MS-DOS and Amiga. The cameo appearance by the video game was a not too subtle hint of the similarities between Lorna and Riggs. The Three Stooges game was released in 1987, the same year the first Lethal Weapon was released. The Three Stooges, of course, was referred to regularly in the first three Lethal Weapon movies with Riggs watching classic videos with his dog and poking many of the criminals (and even a director) in the eye to annoy them.




Riggs also displays his ignorance of computers by commenting that the PC is heavy when he was actually trying to lift the CRT monitor. To be fair, those early tubes were extremely heavy despite sporting a small screen by today's standards.

Videotape (again)

Lethal Weapon 3 continues with the tradition of using a videocasette tape as a necessary tool in identifying and catching the antagonist. Rene Russo's character Lorna Cole picks up the security footage from the interrogation room and through the recordings is able to identify the corrupt and vicious policeman, Jack Travis. Today's online video sites and file sharing could substitute for the VHS sex tape Roger Murtaugh finds in Lethal Weapon. The home video Murtaugh watches could have been recorded with a High-definition digital camera or DSLR if Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) was filmed today. However, in Lethal Weapon 3, web cameras set up with DDNS on a network is a more realistic approach than the clunky (and wasteful) video cameras used by Sgt. Lorna Cole to catch Jack Travis in the act of murder.

The Oddball

Lethal Weapon 3 was an unnecessary sequel to the excellent Lethal Weapon 2, which tied up all the plotlines of Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), introduced and said goodbye to Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), and hinted at the retirement of Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover). However, the filmmakers, bolstered by the incredible reception of Lethal Weapon 2, decided to gather up the cast, including the now-popular Joe Pesci and added the lovely Rene Russo as Riggs' new love interest, who may not have had Patsy Kensit's sex appeal but was equally attractive and funnier. The third movie in the series is an oddball because it can stand on its own independently from the other movies in the franchise with no references to Rika (Patsy Kensit) and Riggs' wife. Lethal Weapon 3 does, however, make a passing reference to events in the second movie through Leo Getz's new job as real estate agent (the nail gun incident and the explosion in the toilet). We also get to see Riggs fixing his dislocated shoulder, a skill he displayed prominently in Lethal Weapon 2. 

Lethal Weapon 3, however, does score as having the most realistic plot of the franchise. Although decidedly less edgy and violent as the first two movies, the plot involving "cop-killers" and firearms is well thought out and timely considering how many people are killed daily in the U.S. because of ignorant and irresponsible gun owners. Mel Gibson was at the height of his popularity at the time Lethal Weapon 2 and 3 was released, with Wizard magazine even suggesting he would make a great Wolverine. The filmmakers also punched up the soundtrack by opening the title sequence with the incredible track "It's Probably Me" by Sting, Eric Clapton and saxophonist David Sanborn and also includes a memorable track from BoyzIIMen's debut album during the funeral scene ("It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday").

Lethal Weapon 3 was a lighthearted buddy-cop comedy made extremely entertaining by the incredibly real friendship between Murtaugh and Riggs. It could have been a great end to the franchise in a way the sequel wasn't, but the filmmakers opted instead to sell out and release a fourth somewhat half-hearted Lethal Weapon 4.

Concluded in Tech Flashback: The Lethal Weapon series 1987 - 1998 Part 4

Read More

Unstructured FrameMaker Basics: Importing and working with Excel Tables Part 2

Category: Tech Writer

Continued from Unstructured FrameMaker Basics: Importing and working with Excel Tables Part 1

Resizing the columns

A significant portion of the table is still not visible. Resize the columns to remove excess white space. You can shrink the column size tightly around the text or specify exact values for the columns. Before starting, change the view so that the Text Symbols are not visible by clicking View then Text Symbols.

To maximize column space:

1. Place your mouse pointer inside a cell in the column you want to edit.
2. Click Table on the main toolbar, then Format. Click Resize Columns...




3. In the Resize Selected Columns window, select To width of Selected Cells' Contents.

The column width will shrink tightly around the text. Note that you can modify the margins or the column size later.

To specify exact measurements of the column width:

1.Place your mouse pointer inside a cell in the column you want to edit.
2.  Click Table on the main toolbar, then Format. Click Resize Columns...
3. Specify a value in the To Width: item.

Refining the Cell Margins using Paragraph Designer

If you used the To width of Selected Cells' Contents in the Resize Selected Columns window, you might find the text too closely spaced from cell to cell. To quickly add "cell padding" to make text readable, use the Paragraph Designer.

To adjust Cell Margins using the Paragraph Designer:

1. Click the Table Cell button in Paragraph Designer. Select the Paragraph Tag you used for the table text.
2. Input margin values in the Cell Margin Top, Bottom, Left and Right items.
3. Click Apply or Update All. 




Once all the columns are of the correct size and text within the cells are allotted enough space, check if all the contents of the Excel table are now visible. You may need to do a bit of trial and error especially if the content length for each cell varies. In this screenshot below, the first column's all caps text has been changed, the headings have been shortened and the columns resized to extremely conservative values.




Now that all the columns of the Excel table are visible, you can now format the color, table headings, table lines and shading and merge cells.

Read More

Interesting Distractions to Follow on the Internet

Category: Tech Today

This site's author has been busy scratching his head and applauding the following:

1. SteamOS - There's regular Linux gaming coverage on the Linux Action Show and though I admit I'm not a gamer, it's great to see Linux penetrate mainstream users through the path of least resistance. The last video game I played was Mega Man X (1993) and the original Quake (1996) on a PC, so I'm regularly amazed by how far gaming consoles and PC gaming have gone. However, I'm actually more interested in SteamOS as a platform for productivity. Will SteamOS' focus on gaming help users unconsciously switch to Linux for everyday tasks as well?

2. Twerking -  I freely admit I had no idea what twerking was until the lovely Miley Cyrus ended up on the news for her VMA performance. Believe me, worst things happened on TV in the 80s. With bad news about Africa, India, Pakistan and Syria flowing incessantly on the web, the word "twerking" is still surprisingly hitting the search engines and news sites pretty often.


Uhm...I think Peter should stick to Thwipping rather than Twerking.
Screencap from Spider-Man 3 (2007)


3. iPhone 5C/5S and iOS7, new iMacs, Surface Pro 2/Surface 2, Kindle Fire HDX and more amazing products I won't be able to buy - The Kindle Fire HDX looks great and I'd love to get one if I actually had time, money and access to Amazon's entertainment ecosystem. Apple has another set of hits on their hands with some serious hardware upgrades to their iMacs but I'm actually more interested in the Surface Pro 2, which immediately received ridiculously ignorant comments from "industry" writers (Forbes, Reuters, Motley Fool etc.).


A commuter reads a story on her Amazon Kindle in Line 1, Shanghai.


Look guys, just because you love tablets and Apple it doesn't mean serious IT professionals and enterprise customers won't appreciate Microsoft's efforts to build a functional and beautiful device . The PC landscape is slowly changing and Microsoft is attempting to evolve with it. Why is it that "industry experts" and reviewers  (these are the same "industry" writers who don't know anything about Linux) think that all products are designed specifically with them in mind (oh, the arrogance and hubris)? They leave out students, teachers, real IT professionals, digital artists, workers and several dozen other markets they no zilch about. Not everyone needs a tablet or smartphone or an Apple device. I was very happy to see there were supporters for the Surface when news hit the Internet. Despite my devotion to Linux, I'd love to have one myself.

As for iOS7 and the new iPhones, I'm sure Apple will iron out the software bugs people are complaining about and provide a healthy supply of Gold iPhones for the pathetic and desperate worshipers. 

4. Marvel and DC everywhere - I'm happy for Marvel and DC's recent success in film, digital comics, TV and everywhere else. Back when Bucky was still dead and Peter Parker (the original and real Spidey) was the lovable Donald Duck/Bugs Bunny of the Marvel Universe, us real fans were waiting for decent films and possibly a great Marvel cartoon/ TV show. With DC making strong inroads back to popularity with Arrow, Man of Steel and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (plus an upcoming show about Gotham City), could this be a new golden age of comic book characters and stories?

On the other hand, I absolutely hate the garbage current Marvel writers are publishing month in and mouth out. The Spider-Man and X-Men books in particular are worth less than used toilet paper (digital and all that). It's easier to like DC's new 52 if you were a Marvel Zombie from the old days because you aren't invested so much in the beloved characters and classic tales of Walt Simonson, Chris Claremont, Jack Kirby, Doug Moench, Stan Lee and Roger Stern.


Thor was intelligent, kind and badass back in the 70s and 80s but current character regression and grossly ignorant Marvel writers have ruined the character. Scan from Thor #303 (1981)


5. Feedbooks - Even with the popularity of period TV shows and movie such as Downton Abbey and updated versions of Sherlock Holmes, I'm always surprised people still stick to reading contemporary books such as the Twilight series, Fifty Shades of Grey, Hunger Games and the Game of Thrones series. There are plenty of online sources for public domain books where books by classic writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Guy de Maupessant are freely available. Their books are exceptionally well-written and it's amazing how much content is imitated from their stories. Other books by lesser known authors such as Earl Diggers (Charlie Chan series), Sax Rohmer (Tales of Chinatown), Maurice LeBlanc (Lupin series), Henry Haggard (Allan Quartermain series) and Howard Pyle (Robin Hood) are also worth reading and their stories are original, immensely entertaining and not as self-indulgent, commercialized and narcissistic as the books published today.

I'm currently visiting Feedbooks regularly for my free Public Domain ebooks. One of the advantages of downloading from Feedbooks is that their EPUBs make use of a specific template so all their books are nicely laid out in sections with a consistent design. Typesetting is judiciously arranged and unlike books from Google or Gutenberg, the books are not encumbered with the long disclaimer and publishing information at the beginning and end of the book. I've recently finished the brilliant Moonstone by Wilkie Collins and I'm looking forward to more collections from the suspense and mysteries section of their site.

Feedbooks also has a great list of books from independent writers and for those interested in erotica, there's plenty of previews and interesting excerpts available.

Postscript: Most uninteresting, inane and boring event? Yahoo's new logo.

Read More

Unstructured FrameMaker Basics: Importing and working with Excel Tables Part 1

Category: Tech Writer


Despite improvements to table support in most applications, working with Excel tables in applications like Adobe InDesign, FrameMaker and CorelDraw are less than ideal especially if you are working on a deadline. In InDesign, most writers would import the Excel file as text and convert the content to a table and format the table and contents manually in a time consuming process. Other methods would involve converting the table/chart to a vector object in Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw to take advantage of the flexibility of vector objects in page layout applications. The fastest way to import an Excel table to a document is to save the Excel table as a bitmap or PDF and Place/Import the PDF into FrameMaker or InDesign. Unfortunately, this method has similar limitations to converting the table to a vector object - the table loses its text properties and common text tasks such as copy and paste are no longer available once the document is exported to PDF for editing, review or publication.

FrameMaker's table handling has advantages over Adobe InDesign's WYSIWYG approach, but learning Table Designer and FrameMaker's different interface can be trying for new users. This series of articles will discuss one way to import and format Excel articles for use in Adobe FrameMaker 10.

Preparing the Excel Table

This example makes use of a a Microsoft Excel 2007 table with numbers, text and columns of varying widths. To facilitate importing to FrameMaker, remove all formatting and colors. To avoid symbol or font issues, the bullets in the last three columns were formatted using a generic font as is the rest of the text.




A quick way to remove table formatting is to select all the table cells, copy, and paste the cells in a new workbook using the Paste Special command. Select only Values and then save the workbook.

Preparing FrameMaker

Before starting work with tables in FrameMaker, change the display units of the ruler. Since FrameMaker isn't a WYSIWYG application, you will have to manually input values for the table column widths and rows.

To change the Ruler display units:

1. Click View then Options.
2. In the Display Units: item, select your preferred unit measurements.
3. In the Rulers: item, select your preferred unit measurements. For this tutorial, we'll be using mm, which is small for text but large enough to be visible when making increments.
4. Click Set.




When working with Excel tables, you would need both the Paragraph Designer and Table Designer tabs so you can open them before importing the Excel file.

Importing the plain Excel table

To import the Excel table:

1. Place the insertion point to where you want the table to appear.
2. Click File then Import.
3. Click File... then select the Excel 2007/2010 file.
4. Select Copy Into Document. Click Import.

Note: If you select the Import by Reference  option, you would have click the Convert... button in the Text Inset Properties tab.

5. FrameMaker will display the Unknown File Type window for .xlsx files. Select Microsoft Excel 2007 then Click Convert.




6. In the Import Text Flow by Reference window, select Reformat as Plain Text. Click Import.

The table will appear on your main Body Flow after the paragraph mark if your Text Symbols are visible. Note that most Excel tables are often wider than a typical A4 or Letter-size FrameMaker page. The table will be cut off with parts of it not visible. In most cases, you would have to modify the content of the table in addition to resizing the columns and text sizes.




Note: Unlike InDesign, where you can toggle between views to display non-printing or hidden parts of the work page, you cannot see the missing portions of the table outside the FrameMaker document.

Editing the Table contents, Columns and Text

To make the table fit the FrameMaker page, you would have to edit the text size, cell margins and columns of the table. In this example, the table contains technical information that isn't as necessary for most readers so a compromise between text size and column size. However, check with your technical editor before making any direct edits to the text.

To change text size and font using Paragraph Designer:

1. Place the insertion point inside the table. The text is automatically formatted using the default Paragraph Tag if you followed the import steps above.
2. Create a new paragraph tag in Paragraph Designer. Click Commands, New Format... then Create.
3. Change the text size and font. For this example, a size value of 9.0 pts is used.
4.  Select the text/table cells and click Apply. You can select the non-visible portions of the table once they appear on the FrameMaker page. You can also refine formatting of the text later for specific types of text. The objective at the moment is to "shrink" the table and allow the missing portion of the table to appear.





Continued in Unstructured FrameMaker Basics: Importing and working with Excel Tables Part 2

Read More

Quick Accessory Review: Golla Digital Camera Bag (Small)

Category: Tech Today

There were literally dozens of affordable nice leather sling bags with plenty of room for my ILC, netbook, backup Canon digital camera and iPad in Chinese online shopping sites such as Jingdong Mall and Yihaodian. I was ready to retire my beloved Indiana Jones-esque satchel for a more elegant bag. Unfortunately, I was severely limited by my 200RMB gift card, which was only valid for specific products on the aforementioned Yihaodian website. When I decided on the digital camera bag for my Sony NEX-3NL camera, I was thus aiming for availability and price rather than brand or design.

When you're in China, you either buy only branded stuff or learn to recognize quality over brand name. I learned to trust Chinese brands unheard of in the West - some exceed the quality of branded products for a much lesser price. After considerable assistance from my Chinese co-workers, the only valid products I could purchase with my gift card were a generic roomy black laptop backpack or a small Golla camera bag. I opted for the Golla camera bag without knowing that Golla was a Finnish brand that distributed their products all over the world and are even available in Amazon.com.




The 156 RMB black Golla bag was shipped the next day along with a 29 RMB digital camera cleaning kit that I chucked in to make full use of the 200RMB amount. The Golla bag was nice and sturdy and I was especially happy with the inner lining, which felt stiffer than some of the cheaper digital camera bags I saw in retailers such as Decathlon. Although I was practically getting the bag for free, I felt the 156 RMB price tag was a bit too much especially after I found out it was much smaller than I thought it would be. My Sony NEX-3NL camera fits perfectly inside the bag but not much else. There's a small "pocket" in the back but couldn't even hold the Sony power plug, much less my iPod Touch. I could, however, fit the USB cable and battery inside the pocket if I tried hard enough. The material of the Golla Bag wasn't waterproof but the fabric is the type that really doesn't absorb water very well.



The Golla small digital camera bag was even smaller than my 6" Sony PRS-600 ereader.



My iPod Touch fit only halfway inside the rear pocket.


More than anything else, I was probably paying for the brand name (which I wasn't aware of until I visited their website) than for any useful feature. However, having watched tourists and photography enthusiasts grapple with huge DSLR bags or purchase expensive Crumpler and branded "digital" bags, the small Golla bag actually might be an advantage during my travels. Still, I wish it had room for at least my passport or ticket.

 

Read More

Personal Case Study: Upgrading to a better device Part ‏2

Continued from Personal Case Study: Upgrading to a better device Part 1

Case #2 Creative Zen 2GB with SD card to an Apple iPod Touch 32GB

Category: MP3 Player

Predecessor: Do I hear a groan? Although I'm aware that many consider a dedicated MP3 player obsolete, the iPod Touch is indispensable if you don't own a smartphone and my Creative Zen, which I purchased in 2009, hasn't aged a bit - battery and all. The first MP3 player I ever bought was a Samsung Yepp with 512MB of storage and a Line Out connector that can be used for storage. The Yepp eventually devolved to just a USB flash device so after a brief time using a Sony Ericsson phone as an MP3 player, I purchased a 2GB Creative Zen for studying Chinese, Japanese and French.

Performance Difference: I don't need a smartphone just yet and don't own one but I do need my iPod Touch. In short, I don't have enough superlatives to describe my iPod Touch and its uses even though the Gen 4 iPod Touch is significantly slower than most devices today and comes with all the problems associated with iOS.  However, there's something to be said about a dedicated, indestructible MP3 player which doesn't have the distractions of apps - that's why I still have the Creative Zen around.

Current Usage: Creative has discontinued the version of Zen I own, but I'd gladly buy another one this minute just for its mechanical button and impervious plastic build. The darn thing is tougher than Iron Man's armor. Even after more than four years of intensive use, the battery is still exceptional. It's still in use every night - and still plays Chinese, Japanese, and French audio lessons like a champ. Touch screens may be standard today but for audiolingual studies, nothing beats a physical button.

Future Upgrade: Considering how resilient both the iPod Touch and Creative Zen are despite the amount of abuse it receives from its owner, I doubt if I'll upgrade to a dedicated new MP3 player soon. However, if either of the devices finally fail, I'll just get the same product and the same brand.

Continued in Personal Case Study: Upgrading to a better device Part 3

Read More

The new iPhones and resellers in Minhang, Shanghai

Category: Tech Today

I was listening to my daily dose of BBC news using my 4th-generation iPod while strolling around Parkson in Minhang, Shanghai. Both the BBC World Update: Daily Commute and BBC Global News podcasts confirmed what I had already read on news sources such as Reuters and CNN.com - the queues for the new "cheap" iPhones and the gold flagship Apple smartphone in UK, China, and in the US were long and it seemed Apple once again struck a homerun. I laughed out loud when I listened/read about the excitement of Apple fans who lined up for the new phone and felt disgruntled at the poor treatment towards the homeless people left unpaid by wealthy businessmen who used them as proxy. C'mon guys, now that's just mean. Even comic book geeks have the courtesy to wait in line for hours just for a 4-minute preview of an upcoming Marvel movie. If you wealthy corporate raiders want an iPhone so urgently go leave your cushy offices and line up like every other Apple worshiper.




Wall Street is inconsistent with their outlook for Apple shares but I have little doubt Apple is going to stick their tongue out at all the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy users and gain even a greater following than ever before. Their brand and the quality of their products are too strong for them to fail despite the unremarkable release of their latest iPhone. Now, from a technical point of view I think iPhones are great. I enjoy the Apple ecosystem with my iPad 2 and iPod and I'm currently waiting to experiment with iOS 7 once the hullabaloo is over. However, I'll be the first one to say iPhones are not for me (I'm looking at a Lumia Windows Phone instead).

There are two authorized Apple resellers in Parkson, Minhang and I was expecting them to be as busy as the Apple Store in East Nanjing Road. Apple had timed their product release perfectly in China, coinciding with the Chinese Mid-Autumn holiday. However, the two big EBTs and another Apple reseller were empty. In fact, in the larger store there were only three kids playing with iPad Minis and one person tinkering with the Macbook Pro. I quickly got my hands on the grey iPhone 5S, which felt like any other iPhone I've played with.  It felt good trying it out though since it's so different from my old iPod, the newer Windows Phones and Android devices I've had a chance to tinker with. I also got a feel for the iPhone 5C (the yellow one) and it felt exactly what I expected it to be. Apple's "cheaper" product felt heavier and more solid than most Lumia phones. However, it also looked as cheap and kitschy as the plastic casing on the immensely more affordable (but competent) Nokia Lumia 720 and 625. If Apple users were honest with themselves, they would probably realize they don't need this new phone (most people have perfectly good smartphones). On the flip side, the obsession for something "new" and something tagged with an Apple logo can be a pretty strong, irrational argument to spend money. 




I spent a few minutes with the new iPhones and as expected wasn't really all that thrilled with the fingerprint sensor and iOS 7 tweaks (weeks of reading articles and reviews about iOS7 can do that to you). And then I went over and lovingly touched the Macbook Air and Macbook Pro, two devices which I feel deserve the attention and disposable income more than the in-demand gold iPhone 5S.

Read More

Sony PlayMemories Home and the Sony NEX-3NL Part 1

Category: Tech Today

In the old days when inkjet printers were popular, Canon and Epson loaded their driver CDs with various creative tools to encourage users to print more (and buy more inkjet cartridges). Having migrated over to Linux a long, long time ago, I was actually curious as to what kind of OEM value-add software digital camera manufacturers like Sony provide to their users. PlayMemories Home, designed for Sony NEX cameras, can be downloaded for free from the Sony website. The NEX camera will actually remind users to download the optional software once the Sony camera is plugged into a Windows machine. PlayMemories, like most OEM software these days, is truly optional and isn't even packaged with the NEX camera. Moreover, there are no issues plugging a Sony NEX-3NL to a Windows, Mac, or Linux machine. Windows 7 and Windows 8 actually treats the NEX camera as a mass storage device by default, detecting any memory cards and internal storage the device may have. MacOSX and Linux, of course, will treat the camera and storage as available mounts.



 
I've already discussed the other Windows-only software Sony provides for converting and editing Sony RAW (.ARW) photos and concluded that the Image Data Converter is actually useful for those without professional photo-editing tools or are new to RAW (like me). PlayMemories software, on the other hand, is just value-add for the Sony NEX series of cameras since Image Data Converter already handles most photography-related tasks.

Verify

Sony has a clever way of preventing non-NEX users from downloading the PlayMemories application. First, you would actually need to have the camera connected and powered on to begin installation. Second, you would need to be online to install the software and verify that you are actually a Sony NEX user. I actually didn't find this intrusive. In fact, I like that Sony is taking care to prevent others from using their software. Of course, some may reason that it's a bit over the top in this day and age of free mobile apps, Android, and online stores. In truth, I actually found myself thinking how backward the whole software installation process is compared to the 1-minute installation of mobile apps. Even as a Linux user, where software package managers are the heart of a Linux distribution, I had a sinking feeling that the future no longer lies in installing software of any sort. I'm pretty old-fashioned, but I'm beginning to understand why kids are beginning to prefer smartphones and tablets over desktops and laptops. I actually felt a chill of impending doom for desktop applications as PlayMemories was downloaded and installed on my Windows 7 Ideapad.




There is nothing remarkable about the PlayMemories installation. I advise users to uncheck the Import with PlayMemories Home when a device is connected at the end of the setup process though. If you leave it unchecked, any storage device, including ereaders and SD cards will trigger a PlayMemories Import Media message. Also, take note that there are two parts to installation - the installation of the software and the initial setup. Finally, PlayMemories will add a Startup item to Windows which really doesn't affect boot up process (some Windows users are pretty diligent about that sort of thing).
 

Tools and Interface

 
The Sony software developers wrote a pretty nice-looking desktop application that fits very well in Windows 7 or a touch-screen enabled device running Windows 8. The buttons are big and the steps are straightforward. PlayMemories Home is a great example of an unpretentious desktop utility - a far cry from OEM software back in the day that was too colorful and littered with unnecessary animation. Tasks such as viewing photos and switching to the different calendar views were fast and seamless even on my somewhat aged Lenovo Ideapad.



 
For longtime users of consumer multimedia applications, there are no distinguishing features in PlayMemories Home. There's the usual options to sort, tag and rotate media files as well as the different time views (year, month, day). For users who regularly record videos using their NEX cameras, they can create a timeline of their videos. Users who focus on photography can order prints, e-mail photos, create backup or multimedia disks, and execute basic photo-editing tasks. There's also a map view for cameras with GPS (my NEX-3NL didn't have that feature). Finally, there's the option to share photos and videos to several online services. I was actually surprised I was able to use the Share tool to upload photos to Picasa Web Albums considering that I'm currently in China where most Google services are blocked.



 
The tools found in PlayMemories Home are all very easy to use and nicely laid out but most of the tools are already found on a basic Windows 7/Windows 8 machine. There's a reason to install Sony's Image Data Converter to handle the .ARW editing but there's really no compelling feature in PlayMemories Home other than another way to view your imported Sony NEX snaps. I admit that the different calendar views is slick and performed exceptionally well even on my underpowered machine but I also must concede that installing PlayMemories Home just for that feature is a bit overkill.








I don't blame Sony's software developers - the tools in PlayMemories Home are probably appropriate for grandfathers and grandmas who aren't interested in Linux or Adobe software. Like I mentioned early in this article, most software included with consumer electronics is nothing more than value-add and aimed at beginners or lazy users who expect more for what they paid. Most hardware manufacturers are hard-pressed to provide unique and actually useful software for their products considering that in this day and age everyone has a degree of digital literacy. Although it was inevitable, I feel sentimental about the old days when people were new to computers and needed simple programs to execute simple tasks.



 
Continued in Sony PlayMemories Home and the Sony NEX-3NL Part 2: PlayMemories Online

Read More

Drawing a Rounded Triangle in CorelDraw

Category: Tech Writer

If you need to draw a safety icon such as those found in user manuals or any icon which requires a rounded triangle, all you need are a few steps to create one in CorelDraw.

Note: The screenshots shown here are from CorelDraw X3.

To create a rounded triangle warning logo in CorelDraw:

1. Click the Polygon Tool from the Toolbox toolbar.

2. On the Property bar, enter 3 for the points value.

3. Hold down the CTRL key then click and drag to draw a triangle.

4. Enter a different width or height if you require an equilateral triangle.

5. Click the Outline Tool flyout and click the Outline Tool Dialog box.

6. In the Outline Pen window, select a thicker Width (14 or higher). Select the second rounded option in the Corners and Line Caps items.

7. Using the Text Tool, add the exclamation point and resize as needed. 

At this point you can click a color swatch to change the color of the drawing. However, note that this triangle's inner corners are not rounded. There is more than one way to round the corners of the inner triangle. The easiest way is to create an inner Contour and use the White color swatch:

1. Select the rounded triangle. 

2. Click Window on the main toolbar, then Dockers. Select Contour.

3. In the Contour docker, select Inside. Put 1 in the Steps item and a small value for the Offset (This example uses 0.15 inches). Click Apply.

4. Right-click on the triangle and click Break Contour Group Apart. This will create two triangles, the inner contour and the original rounded triangle.

5. Using the Pick Tool, select the inner triangle and use the right-mouse button to click the White color swatch. This changes the outline of the inner triangle to white, creating the illusion of rounded inner corners.

6. If needed, adjust the size or the outline width of the inner triangle. In the final drawing below, the inner triangle's outline width was reduced to 12 pts.

Read More

Unstructured FrameMaker Basics: Formatting Admonitions Part 2

Continued from  Unstructured FrameMaker Basics: Formatting Admonitions Part 1

Admonition blocks/lists

Admonition blocks/lists work the same way as any bulleted list in FrameMaker - just add the left and right indents to separate them from the flow of the text. The text for "Notes:" should have its own Character Tag while the bulleted list would have its own Paragraph Tag. Use Tabs to keep the bulleted list aligned (see this article on aligning bulleted lists).

To add an icon for the block/list, use the same steps outlined in Part 1. If there's already an instance of the icon, just copy and paste it using the insertion point. Again, you might have to resize the image frame to retain the list's alignment.

Admonition blocks separated by upper and bottom lines

Some manuals and documentation use lines or boxes to separate the text from the flow. This is extremely easy to set up in InDesign or Microsoft Word using Paragraph Rules, an option missing in Framemaker 10.


Screenshot from a Netopia modem manual


You can draw lines using the Graphics Toolbar in FrameMaker but it won't be anchored with the text. As a workaround, you can use the Table Designer instead to create the "box" for your admonition.

To create a Table Tag specifically for admonition blocks:

1. Click Table and then Insert Table...
2. In the Insert Table window, input 1 for Columns and 1 for Body Rows. Remove any Heading Rows. Click Insert.




3. Place the insertion point inside the table cell.
4. In Table Designer, click the Commands and then New Format...Input a name for your admonitions table tag. Click Create.
5. Click the Basic button in Table Designer. Input Left and Right Indents.
6. In the Title item, select No Title.
7. Click the Ruling button in Table Designer. In the Outside Ruling section, select None for Left and Right Ruling. Click Update All or Apply.
8. Click the Table menu and select Format then Resize Columns...




9. In the Resize Selected Columns window, input a value in the To Width box.
8. Type the text or list inside the table. You can also add an icon if needed, customize the shading or lines of the table.

The newly created table tag will now appear as an option whenever you need to insert a table for admonitions.

The screenshot below displays the PDF result of the different ways of formatting admonition blocks with or without icons or lines.

Read More

A Sony NEX-3NL Review from a Non-Photographer Part 2

Category: Tech Today

Continued from A Sony NEX-3NL Review from a Non-Photographer Part 1

6. Flash button. My hands are pretty small but I had initial problems pressing the button to pop-up the flash. I will admit, however, that I never needed the flash in the last two weeks of playing around with the Sony NEX-3NL. The lens and aperture settings are more than enough to handle a variety of low-light conditions. Ben Grimm (that's the Thing of the Fantastic Four) would have problems pressing the flash button though.

7. Grip and weight. The weight and grip feels pretty good on my diminutive hands. My old Canon point-and-shoot digital cameras easily slipped into my jeans and it was easy to just pull them out and take snaps, but having a real camera strap around my neck and taking photos with an impressive sensor just felt like I had been upgraded several notches from my old Canon Powershot A2000IS.

8. Doors and access panels. Battery door, memory card, and connectors found in most mobile devices are getting better and better and I'm pretty sure some readers would wonder why I even mention it. The doors on the Sony NEX-3NL are dummy proof (not plastic and bendable) and further inspection shows that Sony used premium components for the material.

9. Sony handbook and user manual. I can understand why most users complain about camera menus after a few tries - people never review the user manual or use a product extensively before complaining in forums, ranting on Amazon.com or embarrassing themselves in public by swearing at an electronic device. Hey, if you've tried Linux desktop environments like Unity, Gnome 3.x or Enlightenment, Sony's interface is a snap. That said, Sony provides two really good PDFs on their support site - The Sony NEX handbook and the Sony NEX-3N Instruction Manual. I actually loaded the handbook to my iPod and iPad for reference if I need some help taking difficult photos. 

10. Sony modes. The Sony NEX-3NL has a easy few modes that are exceptionally useful for dilettantes like me: Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Anti Motion Blur, and Hand-Held Twilight are all found in the menus. Hand-held twilight, a NEX feature Sony advertised on the brochures and product web site, can easily be seen as a "gimmick" but I was pleasantly surprised photos using the mode provided great results. Taking low light photos is never fun for non-photographers but Hand-held twilight made it easy by taking several photos in one instance to create a more than acceptable image. I've had little opportunity to play around with Shutter Priority but Aperture Priority worked like a charm with little user interaction.

In comparison

There are two points I want to raise about using the NEX-3NL that I probably wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for the two point-and-shoot Canon cameras I've been using for the last decade.

First, although the Sony has a dedicated Movie button and users won't need to turn the control wheel to record movies, there isn't an option for Movie recording to work in conjunction with the timer. The Timer's 10 second and 5 second mode works with continuous shooting and single shots but not for movie recording. Even my first Canon PowerShot had this option, which made it easy to start recording home movies without my having to go the camera to trigger the button.



Second, it actually takes more effort to shoot Macro photos. Under the list of SCN options, there's a dedicated Macro option, but it didn't work nearly as well as my Canon when I tried taking photos of my laptop and electronic devices. The photos in Part 1 and in this article were taken using the PowerShot for obvious reasons, but I'll more likely use the Canon for that purpose in the future as well. Perhaps it's because I'm so new to using an ILC, but taking quick, basic macro shots using the PowerShot A200IS point-and-shoot was easier than using the impressive lens of the NEX-3NL. I'm aware it takes a good bit of practice though so maybe I'll change my mind eventually.

Summary

All in all, the Sony NEX-3NL is a significant step up from any point-and-shoot digital camera (and kilometers ahead of taking photos using a smartphone or tablet). Despite my relatively uneventful life, it's good to have a solid and capable camera next to me if something does happen. Does that mean I've chucked away my dependable Canon PowerShot A2000IS? Definitely not. The A2000IS takes excellent macro photos and runs on rechargeable AAA batteries. Although demoted to a backup camera in my travel bag, the PowerShot is now my dedicated video movie recorder for casual events. Meanwhile, I'll be spending the next few years practicing and taking photos using the NEX. I still encourage users to purchase point-and-shoot cameras over DSLRs especially if you take more photos using your smartphone or (ugh) tablet, but if you like solid photos and have the budget for it, consider an affordable ILC like the Sony NEX-3NL.

Read More