TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

Let's take a look at 2 specialized filter sets from Alien Skin, Exposure 3 and BlowUp 2. Nothing seems to come with a printed manual these days and I miss them. Why you should consider using a plain-text editor when you have to write something. In Short Circuits: The Supreme Court nixes a California law aimed at protecting children and Microsoft launches Office 365.

Click now and focus next week. A new camera promises to change everything. British police has a Lulz Sec suspect in custody. I continue looking for an Itunes replacement. In Short Circuits, some amusing websites, typing in other languages, and network neutrality comes to Europe.

Google continues to accept fraudulent and deceptive ads. Does your computer need a second monitor? I wish camera manufacturers spoke in plain English and plain math. In Short Circuits, Pandora's IPO and Lulz Sec DDOSes the CIA.

Citibank says information about 210,000 credit cards has been stolen. InDesign CS5.5 makes the future of print brighter. A reporter loses his job because of a dumb online post. Could it be that buying online is better than going to a store?

Microsoft's free Security Essentials might be enough protection for your computer. Alien Skin's Snap Art 2 turns basic photos into works of art. After all these years, Sears is still spamming. In short circuits: Reruns of Google and Sony break-ins.

Thinking about Linux? I'll suggest some things you should consider. Or if a new computer is in your future, making the right choice is easy if you consider what you want the computer to do. Why CD101 moved to 102.5 on the dial but kept the name CD101. In Short Circuits: Why IDM is an outstanding vendor, more bad ads from Google, line endings, Intel in China, and the great Apple attack.

Facebook says Google violates users' privacy and there's a certain amount of irony there. I seem to have won another million pounds; I am SO luckly. If you're counting browsers, there are 5 contenders. In Short Circuits: Media gatekeepers, Sony's PlayStation network begins to retuns, a porn star writes a book, and the big ISPs such as Comcast and AT and T just want to be your friend.

The latest from Ubuntu looks like a good choice for just about everyone. Adobe CS5.5 changes almost everything. In Short Circuits, Facebook become a news driver, Microsoft acquires Skype, and YouTube goes after Netflix.

Xara once again has a winner for website design. Alien Skin improves your camera's bokeh (even if it's a cheap camera). When I had to choose, was it a netbook or an Ipad? And in Short Circuits, Do you need a $100 HDMI cable?

Many think of social media as a time waster but it could save your business. We note the untimely passing of Karen Kenworthy. In Short Circuits, the lates from Ubuntu looks good, Google Calendar Sync finally likes 64-bit Outlook, a bit week for Adobe, and a bad week for Sony.

As usual, Alien Skin has a winner with version 6 of its Eye Candy product. I continue to battle spam and have instituted another approach. In Short Circuits, Amazon sees the light, disk manufacturers continue to merge, the US DOJ goes after online poker, and ACT gives high school juniors something (else) to go on line for.

Good passwords are hard to remember; now there's an easy way. Cerious Software is about to launch an improved version of Thumbs Plus. A worm that started life on Facebook has wiggled away. In Short Circuits, RIP Flip, downgrading US technology, and Ipads in kindergarten.

Alien Skin's Wingnut division comes up with a winner in Lo-Fi. Local TV stations must be more than a little nervous about Hulu. Would you try to crack my Wi-Fi connection? In Short Circuits, how to hide passwords in plain sight, granny is a hacker, and who has your e-mail address?

I tried living for a week without Windows and was surprisingly successful but at the end of the week, Windows returned. In Bits and Pieces you'll find other tidbits that struck my fancy this week.

If you want to be a video producer, Adobe Premiere Pro should be on your (very) short list. Microsoft shocks the IT community with a new version. TechByter Worldwide moves. In Short Circuits, Firefox 4 is a winner and Google hits the wall in federal court.

Google Docs, Zoho, or some other server-based application will someday be the norm. I'll examine the reasons. Right now you need 5 new applications and they're all free. Photoshop comes to the Iphone. In Short Circuits, the New York Times constructs a pay wall and Chrome battles a bug.

MixBook makes digital scrapbooking surprisingly easy. That's the same thing that Xara 3D Maker 7 does for 3-dimensional graphics. Windows 7 users get a service pack. And in Short Circuits, Trusting an Ugly Website, More Changes in the Disk Drive Market, and IE9 64-bit understands video.

Adobe Acrobat X is here and even if you don't need the full version, you should download the Reader. I'm surprised to find lots of things to praise in Microsoft's IE 9, but not for XP. In Short Circuits, G-mail users are annoyed, Apple fan boys are excited, and Facebook captures a misnamed whale.

Part 2 of the report about OnOne Software's Photoshop add-on that's so big I can't describe it in a single program. A utility from Microsoft's Sysinternals division helps you find and remove unnecessary start-up applications. In Short Circuits, fixing what could be an annoying problem, Google changes some rules, and questioning why some people don't care if messages they forward are true.

OnOne Software has a Photoshop add-on that's so big I can't describe it in a single program, but I'll start describing it this week. Both Firefox and Internet Explorer have new versions in the wings and we'll take a look at some of the new Firefox features. In Short Circuits, I found a YouTube video that explains the importance of social media, Apple's demands seem excessive, and I've just bought...

"Resolution" isn't as hard to understand as you probably think it is and I'll explain why. If you like audio books, you should check out PodioBooks.com. IPv6 is coming; are you ready? In Short Circuits, will "nazi" become a top level domain and minicomputer father Ken Olson dies at 84.

When "good enough" is good enough, LibreOffice might work for you. Homeland Security seems to be supporting big business and ignoring its mandate. I offer some suggestions for DHS. In Short Circuits, Verizon Iphones are sold out, AOL's ad revenues shrink, and Egypt's government sites are take off line.

In the "good old days", on-location recording required a lot of heavy gear, but that's no longer the case. The latest version of Photoshop Essentials sports layers and they're powerful. If you have a website, let's consider the pros and cons of a shared IP address. In Short Circuits, missing viewfinders and why LinkedIn might be useful even if you're retired.

The $100 digital camera that was predicted a decade ago has arrived but it somewhat exceeds expectations. I'd like to show you around a delightful site that contains audio and video that will bring back memories. Spokeo has a lot of information about you and some of it is probably correct. In Short Circuits, the end of the check and a series of short notes.

Warnings that I thought had gone away seem to be coming back. If you want to share videos online, it's easy. Digital photography's advances in the past 11 years are phenomenal. In Short Circuits, competition for AT and T and Twitter ordered to spill the beans.