penrose's blog

Importing a PDF Image

1. First, select File -> Import -> PDF Image.

2. In the Select PDF for Image Import dialog box, choose the PDF file from which you want to importa images, and then click Open.
3. If you want to open only a specific image from the PDF file, select it and click OK.
4. To select more than one image, press and hold the Shift key while clicking on the images you want in the PDF Image Import dialog box.
5. You can import a multipage PDF file and convert it to a PSD file.
   To open the Convert dialog box, chose File -> Automate -> Multi-Page PDF to PSD.
6. Under Source PDF, click Choose and select the PDF images you want to convert to Photoshop files.
7. Select the range of pages you want Photoshop to convert under Page Range. Set the resolution and color mode under Output Options.
8. Enter the file name which will be used as the base. Photoshop will append indicators at the end of the file name to specify which it represents.
9. If you want to hide the warnings, check the Suppress Warnings checkbox.
10. When you are done, press OK.

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. (pp30-31)

David

Being a frequent Adobe Photoshop user, I decided to use this blog to provide a series of QUICK tutorials that I have found extremely helpful. These tutorials come directly from Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less (Laaker & Schmitt, 2004). Here is the list of tutorials for those of you who do not own this awesome CS reference.

Task 15
Importing a PDF Image
(30-31)

Task 25
Measuring Distance and Angles in Images with the Measure Tool
(52-53)

Task 90
Using the Magnetic Pen Tool to Trace a Path around an Object
(190-191)

Task 111
Using the Color Replacement Tool
(236-237)

Task 129
Painting from or Recovering Your Previous Work Using Snapshots
(274-275)

Task 202
Placing Text on a Path
(428-429)

Task 208
Extracting an Object from the Surrounding Background
(442-443)

Task 235
Creating a Basic Web Photo Gallary
(498-499)

Task 251
Exporting to SWF
(534-535)

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc.

David

That is the title of this article published at C|Net. According toOliver Friedrichs, a senior manager at Symantec Security Response,"In the last year, we have seen a dramatic shift to hacking for financial gain." The article discusses the strategy that hackers are using to create networks of zombies (called botnets) are used by spammers, phishers, and anyone with malicious intent to do serious damage to computers and computer networks.

The article goes on to report that the profiles of this new breed of hackers is changing for teenagers to educated, yuppies with computer programming experience. While few might get rich, this trend seems to indicate that as a potentially profitable side business - network marketing could soon become obsolete. BTW, that was just a tad sarcastic on my part. However, the most famous line from the Wizard of Oz seems to be revised to "Spammers and Phishers and Zombies ... oh my!"

David

Is it possible that this OpenSource video (AVI) editing program can become to video what Audacity has become to audio?

Publisher's description:
VirtualDub is a video capture / processing utility for 32-bit Windows platforms, licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It lacks the editing power of a general-purpose editor such as Adobe Premiere, but is streamlined for fast linear operations over video. It has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters. It is mainly geared toward processing AVI files, although it can read MPEG-1 and also handle sets of BMP images.

David

With the increase in email attempting to get personal information which will most certainly result in identity theft, this site provides an alarming revelation into the individual vulnerability of the user. You simply look at 10 sample email messages and decide if they are legitimate or phishing attempts. If you score below 7 out of 10, you will probably want to visit the anti-phishing site created by the Federal Trade Commission.

Phishing IQ:
http://survey.mailfrontier.com/survey/quiztest.html

FTC - How NOT to get hooked by a Phishing scam:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm

David

First it was Air Jordan and now it is the iPOD? CNN posted a story about 15 year old Christopher Rose. The story details how he was brutally attacked and his iPOD and backpack stolen. The story concludes with the statement that most iPODs are stolen and kept for personal use and are not being resold.

My heart goes out to Christopher's family and friends during this very difficult time.

David

While reading my daily dose of RSS, my interest was peaked by an article titled "New test would measure students' Web wisdom." I realize that the average high school student has more experience with the Internet, chat, instant messaging, p2p file sharing, and other common online experiences. However, I believe that the average teenager (and typical internet user) does not know how to separate the wheat from the chaff (online).

Just because you can find it in print does not make the information credible. For example, in a recent course (Ph.D.), a peer lifted a quote from the Internet. The citation was a URL, although the quote was taken from John Dewey! I was suspicious about the accuracy of the quote, since the source was actually a quote of a quote. Using print.google.com, I tracked down the actual quote and found the actual page number. The online source was incorrect.

My point is, just because students can use the Internet (more specifically Google) does not make them Internet smart. With more and more books being searchable, I suggest that it is increasingly possible to conduct great research online. I believe that if students have access to some of the most powerful research tools today, including a) EBSCO; b) EndNote - Library Connections; and c) PRINT.google.com. The bottom line, students need to learn how to master these tools rather than rely on Internet sources which amount to (in most cases) OpEd from the fringes.

David

"To the extent that underpaid teachers are a problem, it is for one reason and one reason only: teachers unions." These are strong words Mr. Hemingway (2005)!

I have long thought that educators should be treated the same as professional athletes or members of the military. When you perform well, you are compensated well. Also, like the military, there should be compensation for teachers who work in difficult settings (urban schools). Instead, teachers who work in the richest districts typically receive the best pay.

The education of our citizenry is either a priority or it is not. As a nation, we either stand behind our propoganda of equal treatment for everyone, or we simply perpetuate our own hypocracy. I grew up believing that teaching is a noble profession. My mother and grandmother were both teachers. My mother spent her entire career teaching for the St. Louis Public School District. My mother refused to strike, because she believed that her students deserved to receive the best that she had to offer regardless of her compensation.

The paradox is that people shouldn't become teachers for the money AND that districts should reward teachers based upon their committment and performance. If there is any hope of education surviving, it will because the paradigm shifts to support attracting and keeping the best possible professionals. As teaching becomes a more sophisticated and complicated profession, there is no room for mediocraty.

References:
Hemingway, M. (2005, July 3). Unmerrited Teachers. National Review Online, Retrieved on July 3, 2005 from
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/01/opinion/main705884.shtml.

David

In a mad attempt to discover the content on over 300 CDs, I started looking for a program to allow me to enter the list of files, mp3, pdf, doc, and zip that make my life sane in the unfortunate event of a total OS collapse. You know what I'm talking about! How many times do we delete a program to make way for what we hope is more productive software application? Every day.

Enter a nifty utility called CD Bank Cataloguer, which allows me to create a complete collection of CD content simply by reading the contents. The best part of the feature is that it not only is searchable, but I have the ability to keep track of the CDs location. For example, when I take a certain CD to work or if I loan the CD to a friend ... I know what they are and where they are at all times.

Nice!

David

Now this is getting interesting! I was stunned when I saw print.google.com, a search engine for books. Today, I find out that video.google.com allows you to search content that has been broadcast on television? WOW!

Get the free Google Video Viewer, search video.google.com for key words, see the clips, play the clips! Do you think it stops there? NO! You also have the opportunity, if you are selected, to create an account where you can upload your own videos for searching and viewing.

David