Need Help with LR4? Try a tutorial…

I really liked George Jardine’s Lightroom 4 Video Workshop. I enjoy George’s approach to training you on more than just how to use LR4 but from the beginning, talks to you about what you should need to know about LR4’s file structure and what you should consider when storing your pictures and where you are going to structure you catalog/library. He goes into great depths describing this and I have restructured my picture file storage to mimic his suggestions. It has worked well for me when I have gone on vacation and taken my library with me to make it easier to update process new pictures.

This new series is available to view in both flash and HTML5 formats. The second was helpful to me because I like to watch these videos using my iPad and so far it is working very well. The complete series costs $24.95 for 16 videos and over 6 hours of online video education. He has a easy to listen voice and when you watch each section you will definitely come away with a deeper understanding of the new Lightroom 4 program.

Here are the video titles:

1   The Library Structure Overview   –  14:45
2   The Lightroom Catalog Overview   –  7:43
3   The Lightroom User Interface   –  21:32
4   The Pro Workflow Overview   –  37:02
5   The Lightroom Import Dialog   –  17:31
6   The Library Module – Part 1   –  27:51
7   The Library Module – Part 2   –  42:21
8   The Keywording Panels   –  19:31
9   The Metadata Panel   –  27:52
10  File Renaming   –  22:06
11   Editing Methods in Lightroom 4   –  34:19
12   The Lightroom Filter Bar   –  14:36
13   Collections & Virtual Copies   –   24:38  (Check out the free sample movie, here.)
14   The Export Dialog & Publish Services   –  35:46
15   The Lightroom to Photoshop Workflow   –  17:09 (NOTE! This tutorial movie will be updated shortly!)
16   Photo Library Backup Strategies   –  22:00

Take a look at his blog post for more information if you are interested in this product. I really like his presentation style and recommend adding this tutorial series to your collection if you are really series about learning LR4’s photo library, workflow and asset management functions. He has more detail on the develop modules based on LR3, hopefully he will update these soon as well.

How and when to charge your tablet battery

Jack Wallen wrote a great article on the basic functions and care of your batteries on your mobile devices. Check out the article at TechRepublic.

I also have a printed copy that you can access here.

Posting at Photoshopsupport.com–Lightroom 4 Video Tutorials

Here are 5 free videos from the course Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4: New Features Workshop, taught by world renowned photographer and author Mikkel Aaland. Use coupon code LR20 for an instant 20% discount if you decide to purchase the full series. (You can download a free 30-day Photoshop Lightroom 4 trial version.)
Overview of New Features — New Models
Lightroom 4 has added two new modules, Book and Map, and in this video you'll get an overview of their features.
Using the Map Module — Working with Non-Geotagged Photos
Most cameras don't automatically add GPS data to an image, but that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of Lightroom's Map module. In this video you'll see how to manually add GPS data directly from a Google map.
New Develop Module Features — RGB Curves
Curves in Lightroom just got even more powerful by enabling you to control individual red, green, and blue channels. In this video you'll get an example of how these channels work.
Soft Proofing — Soft Proofing with a Custom Profile
In Lightroom 4 you have the option to soft proof an image using a custom profile, and this video will show you how.
Video Editing — Setting a Poster Frame
Want to select another static image to represent your video in the Library module? This video will show you how to select a new poster frame that does just that.
About The Course
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 includes some extremely powerful new features. In this workshop photographer and author Mikkel Aaland shows you what's new and how to put these new features to work.
You’ll learn about the new process version and how it improves the way images are processed in Lightroom, as well as changes to the Develop module’s Basic pane, which now offers much more intuitive controls.
You’ll also be introduced to the new modules in Lightroom 4, the Map and Book modules, which make it easy to sort your photos by location and create great photo books, respectively. Other new features covered here include soft proofing, upgraded video editing capabilities, and many more.

New TechSmith iPad app provides Camtasia Studio Training–and it is FREE!

View In iTunes

• Free

• Category: Education
• Released: Feb 01, 2012
• Version: 1.0.0
• Size: 200 MB
• Language: English
• Seller: TechSmith Corporation
• © 2012 TechSmith Corporation

TechSmith FastTrack makes learning Camtasia Studio easy so you can create eye-catching training, presentation and demo videos. There are 16 tutorial videos that will walk you through Camtasia from start to finish. Learn how to record your screen, apply polished effects, remove background noise and more.

FastTrack lets you get helpful Camtasia Studio tips wherever you are. You can watch on your iPad while travelling, or right at your desk following along with Camtasia Studio open on your desktop.
Within FastTrack, you can:
• Watch tutorial videos, even when offline
• Search for keywords
• Read the video transcripts
• Provide feedback
• Open a web browser to view online tutorials
FastTrack highlights 16 tutorial videos, including:
Getting Started with Screen Recording
• Record Full Screen
• Editing Dimensions and Save Project
• Overview of Camtasia Studio Interface
• Apply SmartFocus to Zoom and Pan
• Cut Unwanted Video and Audio on the Timeline
• Add a Title Clip
• Add a Transition
• Share Your Video on Screencast.com
Recording PowerPoint Presentation
• PowerPoint Add-in Toolbar
• Record a PowerPoint Presentation
• Editing Dimensions and Save Project
• Cut and Split Clips Using Markers on the Timeline
• Use Markers to Create a Table of Contents
• Audio Enhancements – Noise Removal
• Custom Production Settings
• Share on the Web with Link to HTML File

Setting up a PowerPoint Slide Show to run Standalone and Continuously…

I had a discussion with one of our customers about an inexpensive setup for sign management using an All-In-One PC mounted to a wall in their employee information area and then running some type of automated image slide deck on the screen to provide information updates and calendar info for their employees.

I decided to do this using PowerPoint and setting it up to create a self executing file that once it is started will run continuously on the system. Here is a quick video clip on setting this up using PowerPoint 2010.

Burn ISO Images Natively in Windows 7

From Windows Experience Blog by Brandon LeBlanc 

We just had a question come internally about this and I thought that it might be interesting to have it available for everyone else as well…

Geeks and IT Pros often have to burn an ISO image (.iso file) to physical media such as a CD or DVD to test out and install software. We have made it easier to burn ISO images in Windows 7 by natively supporting the ability to burn ISO images directly within Windows without the need of a third party tool.

To burn an ISO image in Windows 7, all someone needs to do is simply right-click on an ISO image and choose “Burn disc image”.

This launches Windows Disc Image Burner, giving you the option to burn the ISO image to either a CD or DVD.

If you check “Verify disc after burning”, it will verify the ISO image burned correctly. Choosing to verify a disc you burned will require additional time so if you’re in a hurry, you will probably want to ensure this option is unchecked.

I often burn ISO images to a DVD-RW so I can re-use the media. What’s great about Windows Disc Image Burner is that it will detect that a DVD-RW has content on it already and prompt you asking if you would like to erase the disc and burn new content to it. This ensures you don’t accidently erase and burn over something important that may be on that DVD-RW disc. This is awesome because it lets me re-use DVD-RW media.

If you haven’t already discovered this feature in the Windows 7, you should give it a shot especially if you are burning ISO images quite a bit.

Educational: Evernote Peek adds Virtual Smart Cover

I keep wanting to get Evernote Peek for training purposes but it doesn’t quite fit MY needs but boy, if I had kids or if I was still in school I would have this in a heartbeat! Evernote has release an update to its Evernote Peek learning application for the iPad by adding a Virtual Cover feature that allows the application to be used without a Smart Cover.

Evernote Peek is an application designed to help iPad users study material stored in Evernote notebooks and was originally designed to work with the iPad 2 Smart Cover technology, allowing users to lift the cover edge to view a question or clue and then lift it further to view the answer. Evernote Peek 2.1 now adds a Virtual Cover mode that allows the application to be used without a Smart Cover, thereby also adding compatibility with the original iPad; users can now swipe the virtual cover open and closed to get the same effect provided by the Smart Cover integration. The new version provides 10 different colour choices for the virtual cover and also adds five new study notebooks of European trivia provided by VisitEurope.com. Evernote Peek is available from the App Store as a free download.

YouTube Video Demo of Evernote Peek

How To: Setting up an iTunes Store Allowance Account

If you have an IOS device then you are probably as unhappy with your experience with it as most of us. iLounge author Jesse David Hollington has written a complete guide to using the iTunes store and here is a tutorial on setting up an allowance account for your kids…

From iLounge The Complete Guide to Using the iTunes Store:

Making Allowances

If you’re a parent who may not be particularly enthused about the idea of giving your son or daughter unlimited access to the iTunes Store, you’ll be happy to hear that Apple provides an allowance feature. Instead of setting up an account for your son or daughter with your actual credit card, you would set up your own iTunes Store account that only you access, and then set up an automatic monthly credit to your offspring’s iTunes Store account, ranging from $10 to $50 per month, in $10 increments. You can initiate this process from the Buy iTunes Gifts section by scrolling down to the “Allowances” heading and clicking Set up an allowance now.

You are prompted to enter your own name and the recipients name, choose an amount to send out on the first of each month, and whether to send the first installment now or wait until the beginning of the next month. You can also choose to either create a new Apple ID for the recipient, or use their existing Apple account if they have already set one up. You can also enter a personal message to go with the allowance. The recipient will receive an e-mail

If you opt to create a new Apple Account for the recipient, you’re taken briefly through the process of setting up the Apple ID and password for the recipient. The date of birth is used for password recovery, and the default question is set to “Who gave you your allowance?” with the allowance provider’s name as the answer.

After you’ve filled in the necessary information, you’re shown a purchase confirmation screen to confirm that everything is correct before hitting the “Buy” button.

The recipient will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to access their iTunes Store account and information on the allowance itself. They will also receive a notification each month on the first of the month when their allowance installment is deposited to their account.

You can manage allowances that you have given out from your normal iTunes Store account management screen. Click on the “Manage Allowances” button will take you to a screen where you can view the allowances that you have set up, and choose to either modify the amounts, suspend the allowance until you re-enable it, or remove it entirely. You can also create additional new allowance from here.

Allowance funds will appear as a credit balance in the recipient’s iTunes Store account in the same way as a gift card or gift certificate, and work in the same manner—purchases come from the gift balance first, and any purchases which exceed the remaining balance must be funded with a separate payment method. Basically, an allowance is just the automated equivalent of buying a gift certificate at the beginning of each month. Keep in mind also that accounts receiving an allowance still function as normal independent iTunes Store accounts, and these users are not prevented from buying additional content using their own payment method. In fact, parents can supplement the allowance on special occasions by purchasing gift certificates or gift cards.

Evernote Note Links–How to use them.

While I am on a roll with Evernote here is a rehash of a recent article from Evernote on how to use Note Links to organize and extend Evernote within Evernote and outside to other applications that you use.

Published October 21, 2011, Posted by Kasey Fleisher Hickey in Tips and Stories

Note Links are a new-ish feature we introduced that’s been talked about here and there on the blog. Not only are Note Links a powerful way to create an organizational structure that you like, they’re a way to actually associate your notes with a variety of 3rd party services. Let’s talk about how you could be using Note Links.

Creating a Note Link

You can create Note Links on any desktop version of Evernote and access Note Links from Evernote anywhere (including mobile versions). Creating a Note Link is easy: right click on a note and choose the Copy Note Link option, or choose it from the Note Menu. The link will be placed into your clipboard. From there, you can paste the link anywhere — a calendar event, a Post It on your desktop, another note, another application that you use, etc. Note Links are meant for you to access your own notes more quickly. Clicking on the Note Link in any location will pop up the note associated with that link.

Note Links are a super powerful way to bring organization, structure, and connectivity to all of your notes in Evernote.

Create Note Links on Your Desktop, Access them Everywhere

Once you start using Note Links, you probably won’t go back. Here are some great reasons to give them a try:

1. Create a table of contents for a selection of notes. Whether you’re working on a study guide or planning your wedding, you can use Note Links to get ahead of the game. Create a new note and add Note Links for things like Notes: October, Notes: December, etc. or “Guest List,” “Flowers,” “Vendor Numbers.” Do this for a Shared Notebook to help collaborators see your organization structure at first glance.
2. Add more context to your calendar. Have a meeting scheduled and want to remember all of the goals you jotted down in Evernote? Place a Note Link associated with your Goals note straight into the calendar invite by pasting the link into the notes section of your calendar. Pull up your note straight from your calendar by clicking on the link.
3. Associate notes with a big presentation. Keep the research you’ve saved in Evernote handy right inside a working presentation: drop Note Links into slides or comments for quick reference.
4. Access your frequently-used notes, fast. Have a handful of notes that you’re always referring to (a piece of code for your blog, instructions for cleaning your pool, or important numbers related to your kids activities), link them all to a ‘Most Used Notes.’ You’ll barely have to search again.
5. Create a calendar reminder. Wish your notes could remind you of to-dos? They can. Create a checklist or to-do list in your Evernote account. Paste a Note Link into notes section of your calendar event like ‘To-do’ deadlines and use your calendar with Evernote to stay on top of whatever you have to get done. When you click a Note Link from the Web, or your calendar, it opens Evernote on your desktop (if you have it installed) and highlights the note.
6. Add Note Links to Shared Notebooks. If you put Note Links into a note and drop that note into a Shared Notebook, the people you’ve shared that notebook with will be able to use them, too. This particular use case is super helpful if you’re working on a project that might require a table of contents, for example, to give added structure to a Shared Notebook.

These are just a few ideas for how you can use Note Links. How are you using Note Links?

Adding PDF’s directing to your iBook Library

I use my iPad for many different purposes but having it as a portable reference device is a big benefit. Besides creating my own PDF documents and storing them in either DropBox or iBook I also collect PDF’s from other sources as well. If you are using your iPad to do research on the internet using Safari as your browser and you come upon a PDF download you can now not only display that PDF in Safari but also save it to your iBook library for future reading/reference. Once you have the PDF loaded in Safari notice in the upper top right of the screen that you have a Open in “iBooks” button choice. The PDF will be immediately transported to your iBook App and displayed on the screen for you. If you exit back to the Library you can then Edit and Move the new document into the “Collection” that you wish it to reside. While it is displayed on the screen you have the ability to print or email it or, of course, just sit back and read it.

Tech note. Repairing a broken windows boot with a missing system32.doc

Repairing an broken windows boot with a missing system32/config file

The easy way.

Ok now we have all done the boot to windows CD and ran chdsk /r and fixboot with fixmbr.

But sometimes it just won’t work, here a quick way that so far has fixed everything I have thrown at it.

• Get a copy of Ubuntu Linix
• Throw your copy in and boot to it on the broken system. The OS will load and then ask you if you wish to try it or install it. Click try, sit back and wait a min.
• Once you get to the desktop click on places>Filesystem
• The file system should have a number in front of it that will the size of your HDD
• Once inside your HDD go to system volume information.
• Once in here look for a folder called _restore-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• (xxx should be random numbers and letters)
• Go in here you will see a bunch of RP folders with numbers next to them. These are restore points folders. Find the latest restore point and pick the one before that. Click in there and find a folder called snapshot.
• Once inside here folder your file called _registry_machine_system.
• Minimize this window.
• Open another instance of your HDD (places> File system)
• This time go to Windows/system32/config.
• Find the SYSTEM file and rename SYSTEM.old.
• Now go back to your _registry_machine_system file copy it and paste it in to system32/config and rename the file to SYSTEM.

Once all this is done, go to the top right of the OS and find the power button click it pick shut down, when it asks you to remove the disk do so, and hit enter. Let the system fully power off then turn it back on, with some luck you have ticked the system in to using an older system config file but with your changes from the last restore point. Remember restore points are made with every windows update so worst case you might lose a program that was installed a week earlier.

Hope this helps.

Scott

Muse Feature Tour available from Adobe TV

AdobeTv has 24 free video tutorials that will help you get started using Muse. Muse is the free design tool and creation app that let’s you mock-up and publish your website without having to learn any code at all.

Muse is for graphic designers who want to easily create unique and professional websites. See how you can design and publish original HTML websites to the latest web standards without writing code. It’s as easy as creating a print layout in InDesign!

Key Features of Muse

• Plan your project — Easy-to-use sitemaps, master pages, and a host of flexible, site-wide tools make it fast and intuitive to get your site planned out and ready for design.
• Design your pages — Combine imagery, graphics and text with complete control, flexibility and power (almost as if you were using Adobe InDesign).
• Add interactivity — Drag and drop fully customizable widgets like navigation menus and slide shows, embed HTML code snippets to include things like Google Maps, enable tool tips, rollovers and much more.
• Publish your site — Preview your site with Muse to see how it looks and test how it works. Then convert to a live website using Adobe for hosting, or export the HTML for hosting with a provider of your choice.

Download a free copy of Muse. Here are the free video titles:

Lightroom Video – Everything I Know About the Adjustment Brush

I have been following Matt Kloskowski for years and he is very well known in the Photoshop/Lightroom community for his books and videos on using these products. Here is a recently published video discussing some of the secrets he is exposing using Lightroom 3’s Adjustment Brush.

Here is the link to his video: Lightroom Video – Everything I Know About the Adjustment Brush

ASG V8 Support–Problems and Work Arounds

PR:Open issues with 8.2 and 8.201

Article Number: AKB001197

They plan to fix them version 8.202. This list can also be found at http://www.astaro.com/lists/Known_Issues-ASG-V8.txt.

ID18567 8.200 "MIME blocking inspects HTTP body" is broken
Description: By enabling "MIME blocking inspects HTTP body" in the HTTP proxy, there might be some cases where the recognition of the MIME type fails and files cannot be downloaded.
Workaround:
Fixed in: 8.202

ID18653 8.200 If the HTTPs-Proxy is enabled, login to some websites may result in "Internal server error"
Description: By using the HTTPs-Proxy, some websites requiring authentication might not be reachable. This happens on websites using HTTP keepalives using POST requests.
Workaround:
Fixed in: 8.202

ID18769 8.200 If virus scanning of a website failed, no error message is shown in the browser.
Description: If virus scanning of a website failed, no error message is shown in the browser. Instead, the user gets a blank page.
Workaround:
Fixed in: 8.202

ID18695 8.200 Policy routing in combination with Application Control may cause problems
Description: Policy routing in combination with Application Control may cause problems. This is caused by wrong connection handling.
Workaround: Disable Application Control.
Fixed in: 8.202

ID18604 8.200 Web Application Firewall mixes backend websites
Description: In case multiple virtual web servers exist with exactly the same settings but listening on different interfaces, the WebAppication Firewall mixes the real web server sites. This only happens, if the first entry in the domain list is the same for all involved virtual web servers.
Workaround: Make sure that each virtual web server's first domain name is unique.
Fixed in: 8.202

This article can be found under "https://support.astaro.com/support/index.php/Open_issues_with_8_2_and_8_201"

Microsoft Word Tips: Save changes to all open Word documents at one time

This simple technique comes in handy when you're working in multiple documents and want to make sure you've saved your changes to all of them. I actually use it most often when I've made a change to a template and want a quick way to save that change on the fly (before I've had a chance to forget I made a change I want to keep).

In Word 2003 and earlier, just press the [Shift] key and pull down the File menu. Word will display the Save All command on the menu, above the Save As command. Choose Save All and Word will prompt you to save each document (or template) that has any unsaved changes. This is more efficient than having to navigate to each document individually and click Save.

If you use Word 2007/2010, this won't work. But you can add the Save All command to your Quick Access Toolbar:

1. Click the Office button (File in 2010) and click Word Options.
2. Click Customize in the left-hand column.
3. Select Commands Not In The Ribbon from the Choose Commands From drop-down list.
4. Scroll down and select Save All.
5. Click the Add button and then click OK.

How To: More Special Windows Keystroke Functions

Here are some more keyboard shortcuts that you may find useful.

Shift + Delete	If you want to delete the highlighted item and bypass the Trash Can, use this key combination. The downside is that you won’t get the opportunity to easily restore the file from the Recycle Bin if you later decide you want it back, but you also won’t have to bother emptying the Recycle Bin if you use this method to ditch unwanted files.
Windows + (+/-)	Want a closer look at whatever’s on your screen? Hit Windows and + to zoom in for a magnified view. While you’re magnified, moving the mouse around the screen will move you to the far corners and bring them into view. Windows and - zooms you back out again.
Windows + 1, 2, 3, etc.	Windows 7 introduced a new feature that lets you pin apps to your Taskbar for quick access. An even quicker way to access those apps is with this slick keyboard shortcut. Press Windows + 1 to launch the first pinned app in your Taskbar (from left to right). Windows + 2 launches the second one, Windows + 3 launches the third one, and so on.
Windows + T	Windows + number launches pinned apps in your Taskbar, but if your apps are already open, there’s a quick way to scroll through them. Press Windows + T and you’ll highlight the first open app in your Taskbar. Press it again and you’ll move to the second open app. As you scroll through them, you’ll get a preview box just as you would if you were hovering over the icon with your mouse. When you get to the app you want, hit Enter to bring it to the foreground. This shortcut only works with open apps, and ignores unopened apps that you’ve pinned to your Taskbar.
Windows + Spacebar	If you need to take a quick look at your desktop use this keyboard combo. All of your windows will clear and you will be able to see your desktop. Why might you want to do this? Maybe to see the file you just saved to the desktop… Press Windows + Spacebar, and all of your open windows will turn transparent so you can see right through them. This even works with maximized windows and full-screen views. To return your view to normal, simply let go of the keys.
Windows + Shift + Left or Right Arrow	If you use a dual-monitor setup to maximize your screen real estate, you might like to use one monitor as your primary working screen and the other as a holding pen for active windows. Or maybe you just need to move a window from one side to the other for some reason. In either case, hitting Windows + Shift + Left Arrow will move a current window to from the right display to the left, and using Right Arrow will move it from the left display to the right. If you only have one monitor, these commands will dock your window to the designated side of the screen.
Windows + Shift + Down Arrow	Do you want to minimize the current window to work on something underneath? Using this Keystroke combination will Minimize the current Window.
Windows Logo + L	Do you have sensitive information on your screen that you don’t want others to see when you walk to the coffee machine for a refill? Use this key combination to instantly bring you back to a login screen. You will need to have put in a login/password for you account for this to work this way.
Alt + F6	If you’ve got multiple windows open within a given app, this handy shortcut will let you quickly switch between them, so you don’t have to waste time clicking around in search of the right window. This doesn’t work inside an application like a browser where you have multiple tabs open to different sites. The application must be in separate windows.
Windows + M	We all have a tendency to leave program windows open as we move from application to application during the day. If you want to clear the screen to get back to your desktop this key combination will Minimize all your windows to get to your desktop quickly.
Shift + CTRL + N	Windows 7 Explorer window is easier to use to create new folders but using this keystroke combination will create a new untitled folder in the current folder location.The new folder will appear with the name ‘New folder’ already highlighted so you can type in your own name for it and hit Enter to move on to the next task.

Microsoft Word Tip: Alternate Method of Moving Text

This tip is probably most useful when you're working in a table, although you can use it to reorder paragraphs outside a table, too. Let's say you decide you want the third row of a table to be the top row. Just click within the third row, hold down [Alt][Shift] and press the up arrow key twice. Each time you press the arrow key, Word will move the row up one. You can select multiple contiguous rows to move them as a block, and you can use the down arrow key if you want to move text down instead of up.

Using this shortcut gets a little tricky if you're moving big pieces of text outside a table. It's easy to lose track of what's being relocated where, and you might find it easier to take a standard cut-and-paste approach in those situations. But when the text is small and manageable, the shortcut is great. For example, if you need to move an item up or down within a bulleted or numbered list, you can just click in the item's paragraph and use the [Alt][Shift] and arrow key combo to move the item to the desired spot.

How To: Some of my favorite keyboard shortcut commands

When it comes to Windows I am totally old school. Whenever I find a keyboard shortcut that I can use instead of going through a menu system I definitely use them. Here are 10 of my most often use keyboard shortcuts that can be used in many different Windows Programs as well as Office.

1. Cut, Copy and Paste are usually some of the first commands that you learn the shortcut keys for. They can be used not only when editing documents but in many utility situations as well. Cut – will delete your selected text or item and place that selection into the memory buffer that is called the clipboard. You can perform this operation with a mouse one of two ways, by selecting it of the edit menu or ribbon bar, right mouse clicking on the selection and choosing Cut on pop-up menu or by holding down the [CTRL] key and pressing [X] simultaneously.
2. Copy – the keyboard shortcut is [CTRL] [C]
3. Paste – the keyboard shortcut is [CTRL] [V]
4. Select entire contents can be done with [CTRL] [A]
5. To force a save press [CTRL] [S]
6. To center a line press [CTRL] [E]
7. To align text to the left press [CTRL] [L]
8. To align text to the right press [CTRL] [R]
9. To undo the last command press [CTRL] [Z]
10. And for my last one I will give you a twofer, [CTRL] [I] applies Italics to the selected text and [CTRL] [B] will Bold the selected text.

Microsoft Word Tip: Drawing borders automatically

Word offers a sometimes-handy option that lets you insert a border automatically. Type three hyphens on a blank line and press [Enter]. If the option is enabled, Word will replace the hyphens with a horizontal line. You can get rid of it if you press [Ctrl]Z after Word inserts it (see above). But if you try to select the border and delete it, you're out of luck. You're not dealing with a line object here. Word has applied the Bottom Border format to the paragraph.

To remove that format in Word 2003, click in the paragraph and choose No Border from the Borders drop-down list on the Formatting menu. In Word 2007/2010, click in the paragraph and then click the Border button in the Paragraph group of the Home tab. Just select No Border from the drop-down list.

3D Printing has been getting a lot of focus lately…

Here is another potential use for the 3D printer, body part replacements! Referred to as Bioprinting, the process is used to make biological tissue such as skin, bone and cartilage. 3D printing has been around for over twenty years but researchers recently began using it to create biological structures. The idea is to make custom designed tissue and organs from a patient’s own cells which may in turn eliminate the need for donated organs. While the research is ongoing there has been some interesting research being done at the Medical University of South Carolina by Vladimir Mironov who is the director of the Bioprinting Research Center at the university.

Dr. Mironov MD, PhD explains that Bioprinting is a mixture of both Art, Science and Technology. In his mission statement titled: On Art and Science: Bioprinting & Pygmalion’s Dream? he discussing how his vision of this science was born from his artistic beginnings. He talks about how in the scientist’s everyday life they are constantly using art to describe and show their ideas, whether it is through description, drawings, photography, or modeling they use artistic methods to present their ideas to others.

Their Roadmap shows the starting with creating blood vessels to carry blood and nutrients to the cells in the tissue that they want to create. This is the first step in creating the infrastructure of the organ replacements. It certainly is an exciting time to be alive and it will be interesting to see how this research progresses in the years to come.