Getting A Usable Vintage Camera

You can certainly get a nice usable vintage Leica for $500 or less. However, you need to understand a few things before you choose one. Leitz made two different systems of 35mm rangefinder cameras.

The earlier system has a mount that accepts lenses that screw into the camera body (what we call 39mm screw mount, or LTM for Leica thread mount). They introduced this system in 1930 with the Leica I(C) model, and continued it well into the 1950’s up to the classic Leica IIIg. Concurrently during the 1950’s, Leitz introduced a new system that accepts lenses with a special bayonet mount (rather than screw in, the lens is placed against the mount lined up with a red dot and a quick quarter turn locks it in place).

This is known as the M bayonet system, which started with the superb Leica M3 and continues right up to the latest M8. Okay, for $500 you want to find a classic Leica that your fiance’, who probably knows and appreciates the Leica mystique, can enjoy in his free time.

I’m talking hobby camera, not camera for his work, because a photojournalist today would be doing his job with the latest digital gear. No problem. You’re on the right track looking at the Leica IIIf. It’s a common model, with over 180,000 sold between 1950 and 1957, it accepts all the zillions of screw mount lenses Leitz made up to that time (and also early 39mm screw mount Canon, Nikon, and even many Russian made lenses), and there’s always a bunch available on eBay.

I do not recommend the Leica IIIg; although it is a better camera, collectors keep it’s price hovering in the $1000 range. I do not recommend some other common earlier models like the Leica III, IIIa, or IIIc; although they’re equally common and readily available for less money, they are also just old enough to cause a lot of trouble and frustration. Among the screw mount models, the Leica IIIf is a great choice. Find one that work! Don’t take a risk on an example that needs any sort of repair.

Look for one that has a bit of external personality (as long as there’s no overt damage, a few rub marks or gentle dings are not a problem), the seller guarantees it all works, as it should. And the Leitz Summitry is a fine fast lens, but get the Elmer 5cm f3.5 instead if you can.

Forget the original box (collectors will PUSH the price for original boxes, but there’s no advantage for you there), don’t worry about a case (they fall apart, and they sometimes cause more damage to the camera because they hold in moisture), but do try to get a proper Leitz lens cap. This is your best bet for a usable vintage Leica in the $400-$500 range.

Now if you want to bend just a bit, and you’d like to explore those later M series cameras, you can probably get a 1960-ish Leica M2 with a superb Submicron 50mm f2 lens somewhere in the $500-$600 range. All the same thoughts apply in regards to condition, etc. The biggest advantage of the M series over the old screw mount series is that if your fiance’ eventually wants to get a modern Leica (for work AND pleasure), any lenses he already has with the M2 would be interchangeable with the later camera.

The classic M3 is too desirable among collectors, the M1 has limited features, and you could consider stepping up for the M4 (actually it would have to specifically be the M4-2 because the original M4 has become quite collectible as well), but that model is the first of the “modern” designs. So there you have it, the Leica IIIf or the Leica M2, those are your best choices in your price range. Regarding your question about Leica values, in general, yes, all of them do increase in value.

The vast majority increases slightly ahead of inflation (over time, not right away), so not that terribly high, but certainly enough to equal money in the bank (and assuming you deal only in top condition). The historically significant models, and a few choice rare models, increase by much greater degrees, in some cases to the point of being ridiculous. Common models like the IIIf just seem to float along with the economy. So, in general, Leica cameras appear to be a good to excellent “investment”.

Gaming Through Computer Networking

One of the essential needs of mankind (other than food, clothing, and shelter) is entertainment. We have had many forms of entertainment since the dawn of the human race such as dancing, singing, chanting, and acting. Many of these forms of entertainment have become traditions to many cultures from across the globe. No matter what taste a society may have, they have their own form of entertainment.

People have been playing games for many reasons; some of them are to relieve them of boredom, others to escape the harsh realities of life, and some to simply relax. Regardless of what reasons they have, games have been played by everyone. The evolution of video games has come hand in hand with technological advances that may or may not be directly involved with them. We have come a long way since the days of Pac Man and Space Invader. One discipline that has helped the development of video games has been computer Networking.

Computer Networking

This is the act of connecting computers or a network of them together. This can be the connection of computers and other devices. We see this through connecting devices such as modems, webcams, fax machines, and printers to our computers.

LAN

A local area network connects computers within a room, house, or building. Gamers have experienced the advantages of playing video games that utilize computer networking. Multiplayer games such as first person shooters, real-time strategy games, and racing games have been popular amongst gamers. They have been able to play on computers that are connected, and are able to interact with each other within the game. This has made video games an increasingly social activity, unlike before when people would just play by themselves, or with just one other player at a time. With a local area network, 10-20 players are able to engage in a game at the same time.

Online games

It’s quite obvious that the Interne has forever changed the way we interact with each other. So much information can be found on the Internet, and an endless number of activities are available online as well. A lot of games nowadays are “playable” online. For this reason, gamers are able to interact with other players from all across the globe. You could be living in Ohio and be playing a shooting game with someone from Barcelona. This also spawned a new game genre called massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

More popularly known as MMORPGs, massively multiplayer online role-playing games have become really popular amongst kids, teens, and adults of all ages. It allows players to go around in a virtual world and develop a particular character. The great thing about it is that thousands of players from around the world could be playing in the same game with you at the same time. You would be able to interact with these players by trading items, dueling, teaming-up, or simply just chatting.

Computer Networking has been developing at a rapid rate, and more advancement in gaming are sure to come. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

How to Make Custom Ringtones and Download Them

One of the first things that many people do after they’ve purchased a brand new cell phone is to scroll through the phone to look and see which ringtones came with their phone! What matters, though, is whether or not their phone is able to accept new and different ringtones if they’re unhappy with the ringtones they’ve received straight from the manufacturer.

Downloading Ringtones: There’s always the possibility of downloading ringtones from the World Wide Web. There are thousands of websites available on-line, mostly from third party vendors, which will allow you to download ringtones to your mobile phone at low-costs or even no costs to you. Of course there are plenty of vendors that also charge you a one-time or monthly fee that actually gets added on to your cell phone bill when it arrives.

Cell Phone Companies: The ringtones that can be downloaded from the internet, though, may pose a problem for some consumers. First, most mobile phone companies do not guarantee that just any ringtone will work on a mobile phone, but instead they recommend and implore their customers to download ringtones from their official site. Of course, this generates income for the cell phone carrier, but it also guarantees consumers that what they’re getting is ringtones that won’t damage their phone and will work properly.

A second problem for consumers, however, lies in the fact that not all third party vendors who sell or give away phone ringtones may have any ringtones available for specific phones, forcing to consumer to purchase a new mobile phone if he or she plans on downloading many ringtones from the internet.

On the other hand, there are a lot of people who are just happy to make their own ringtones. This can be especially easy to do if you have a phone that is also an mp3 player and can handle mp3 song files. The whole process of making your own ringtones is relatively simple and easy, though, as all one really has to do is find a cord for their phone that will allow it to be hooked up to the computer.

This is usually some sort of cable that connects to a USB outlet on the computer and into the phone’s charger piece on the device. The only other tools that one needs in order to make their own ringtones may be a file converter and a program to cut song files down to the appropriate size for a ringtone.

As mentioned, mobile phones that are allowed to accept mp3 song files are much easier to transport song files to from your computer. On the whole, though, mp3-playing cell phones will allow for many other ringtones to be downloaded in general as opposed to a phone that only has and is able to accept polyphonic ringtones. Most of the older phones are the ones that are usually limited in their capabilities, though, and most newer cell phones on the market today can accept just about anything in terms of music and ringtones.

The cell phone and ringtone market is definitely an area of technology and consumer devices that probably will not slow down in the near future. As the space and amount of files that phones are able to hold gets larger and larger, and the music capabilities of cell phones are increased, the ringtone market will be just as popular as it has been in recent years!

Save Money When Purchasing a Laptop

Choosing a laptop is often both exciting and frustrating for customers. The truth of the matter is that most customers just don’t know what to look for in a laptop. They look at the specs and have no idea what the numbers mean. You should start any important purchase with a heft amount of research, figuring out exactly what it is that you are about to purchase, and how you can get the best bang for your buck.

First, Identify what qualities are important to you in a laptop. Is it the size and portability of the laptop? Is it speed? Is it performance? Is it gaming? There are different routes you should take depending on what type of laptop you are looking for.

If you will be using your laptop for school and work, portability is probably what you are looking for. If the laptop will spend most of its time in your house you may be willing to look for a larger, more hefty laptop that performs better.

When you are purchasing your laptop, make sure to ‘un-check’ any extra features you truly don’t think you are going to use. Yea, the built is webcam is cool, but are you really going to use it past the first time you plug in your computer? Probably not in the case of most casual shoppers. Don’t pay for anything you don’t need, and certainly don’t pay for anything you won’t use.

Look at computers that aren’t name brand. Often times off-brand computers will offer nearly the same components, and the same support for a fraction of the price. The real key to saving money on laptops is deciding what is important to you as the buyer. Make sure that you get quotes from several different sources online, because one merchant may offer the same laptop at a substantially lower price.

How Media Technology Can Enrich Our Lives

Without a doubt, the rapidly advancing media technology in today’s day and age can most certainly enrich our everyday lives here living in the United States of America. There are many examples that are already quite commonplace in our society, and no doubt there will be some technology developed in the near future that we can’t even imagine as of right now. But indeed, one does not have to look far in order to see some examples of how media technology is already enriching our everyday lives.

GPS: Many people now have GPS navigation systems installed in their car - technology that was unheard of only fifteen to twenty years ago. Gone are the days of flipping through the awkwardly-sized road atlas as you are trying to drive down the road. Now all you have to do is type in your destination, and a computer voice will guide you right to the spot. You can even get real time road and construction information, as well as any breaking news in the area through your GPS. All of these features and more make GPS systems well worth their money, and a form of new media technology that is catching on quite quickly and gaining in popularity.

Touch screen monitors: Touch screens have been in place for years all around the country. Many cash registers have converted to touch screen technology, and more recently, touch screen technology has now made its way into the homes of normal, average computer users all around the country. Using a touch screen, you can accomplish tasks much quicker on a computer than you ever could before - everything is literally right in front of your eyes and right underneath your fingertips for the easiest access ever.

HDTV: High-definition technology is a brand new form of television broadcast, and probably the newest form of media technology that is out there on the market today. Through the use of HD broadcasting and HD signals, television channels are broadcast with stunning clarity and an in-depth sound that has never been heard before. Combine this with the latest in plasma television and include a surround sound theatre system, and you are all set.

The United States government is even embracing the media technology that is HDTV; so much so that they have required that all television signals and broadcasts be in high definition by February of 2009. For those of you with older television sets that only work with an analog signal, you are going to have to get a converter box, or else you will have no television reception whatsoever. According to the United States government, this is a matter of national security - the television is needed to relay information to the general public in the event that an emergency is taking place.

If you are not receiving a television signal however, this information will never find its way to you and as a result, you could miss out on some important precautions or instructions. In an attempt to avoid this problem, the government is issuing vouchers which can save you some money when purchasing an HDTV converter box.

Digital Camera As A Wonderful Gift For Your Kids

Every parent wants to see their kids happy, cheerful and smiling all the time. So, they want to bring their kids happiness in every possible way. When it comes to gifting your child something, there is nothing like offering them an elegant and sleek digital camera. However, buying a digital camera for them could be extremely daunting task as you may not be aware of their personal taste and liking. At the same time, you would want to pleasantly surprise your kid with a gift and hence, would keep it a secret. This article will tell you what to keep in mind while purchasing a digital camera for gifting your child.

The Latest & Most Sought-after

The digital camera that you are buying for your kid should be the latest trend and the most demandable one. Go for the one which is being heavily advertised and popularly talked about. This will give you child immense happiness and a sense of pride. Besides, it will make your kids really proud of the possession and will make them feel special.

Elegant Design

Children have a knack of being excited by the looks of their possessions. So, while buying a camera ensure that it must have elegant look to impress your children. It doesn`t really matter to them if the camera has a big screen or whether it is 2 mega pixel. What matters a lot to them is whether the camera has got a smart shape, flashy colors, and funky look. Kids are not pretty amazed by gadgets that look boring or serious. Hence, you have to carry this factor in mind while buying a digital camera for your child.

Compact Size

Children like their gadgets small, funky and compact. So you need to select a digital camera for your kid that should be small and compact in size. While you choose a camera, weigh it by your hands and see if it would be comfortable for your kid to carry or hang round their shoulder. Don`t go for large and bulky models even if they have attractive features, they will not catch the fancy of your kids.

Fun Features

The gift to your kids might be meant for taking pictures for school projects, however, they will be using it for taking pictures of their friends and for some really fun activities. Hence, try to choose a digital camera that has maximum fun features. It may be colorful background images, sound effects or wonderful photographic effective. You can truly win the heart of your kids if you offer them a camera that best fits their interests and activities.

Easy Usability

The digital camera you buy for your children should have easy functionality for them. They should find it easy to use their camera without much problem. For example, the `click ability` factor should be taken into consideration as it could be confusing for some kids. In short, the camera gifted by you should have simple system through which children can easily take pictures quickly and efficiently. However, children these days are much smarter and gadget geeks and they pick up really fast.

Price

It is really understandable that you don`t want to spend a fortune on buying a digital camera for your children. Luckily, there are lots of choices available in the market and the prices of digital cameras start from as low as 30 USD to 300 USD. Hence, it really depends how much you want to spend for the gift of your kids. However, it is advisable that you should start simple and upgrade it if you notice that your kids grow out of the one you have bought for them.

So, consider these factors into account and buy your kids a digital camera so that they can take their favorite pictures. Who knows, they can be a talented photographer in future!

Growing Business Needs New Phones

It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we were a small company of just two employees.  Yes, that is where our small accounting firm began with my wife and I doing the books and answering the phones - on the one phone line that we had.

But times change and our business now boasts a few more employees - around 20 or so.  We realized that we needed to ensure that our organization was able to maintain good communications both internally and with our customers, so we decided to take advantage of some articles on business phones that were provided by our phone supplier to make an educated decision.

Instead of going with Toshiba business phone systems, we decided to try out Norstar business phones instead.  So far we have been very happy with our new phones - I just hope that they will work well for at least a couple of years before we need to expand again.

Protecting Your Television from Your Kids

If you are a parent of younger children just like I am, be warned that getting that new LCD television might not be the best idea.  Just keep reading to learn why it might not be the best idea, and if you do get one, how to protect it from your kids.

You see, I had the bright idea one day to buy a 32" LCD TV to replace our old tube TV that we had for years.  I wanted to get a high definition television as it is the way things are going and I wanted to make sure that we didn’t just waste our money buying an ancient TV.

After taking it home and setting it up, you could clearly see the difference.  I was rather proud of my purchase and was looking forward to spending a lot of time in front of the television.

At least I thought this way before my daughter got to the TV.  She decided that she would color all over it with a pen, and in the end, my television was ruined.  I was mad that the salesman had not suggested some TV screen protectors as an add-on to my purchase.  It would have saved my television and some of my money.

So, when I went to pickup a new TV, I made sure to buy a TV screen protector too.  I don’t want to go through what I did ever again.

Which CAD Services are the Good Ones?

If you’re an architect or engineer thinking of outsourcing your CAD drawings, you would no doubt have been confronted with a question at some point in time. And that question is: How do I find a good provider of CAD services?

And probably, MOST PROBABLY, what would have come to mind is, “Go to the search engines and type in ‘CAD Services’”.

Yes, going to the search engines when you’re looking for something is a smart idea, but you’d be surprised to know that nowadays it isn’t the strategy of choice. It has a shortcoming, and that is

** Search engines rank a site based on how good the website is, not on how good the website’s company is. **

After all, for the most part, websites are like ads. Now you tell me: if an ad looks good, does it mean the company being advertised is good? Of course not.

What you need are the opinions of others. Others who have actually used CAD services. That way you’ll see the good, the bad and the ugly.

Say about 10 years ago, being able to find the opinions of others would be a pipe-dream. But today it’s a reality. You CAN do it, and you can do it easily.

How? By going to user forums. If you’re into engineering, go to engineering forums. If you’re into architecture, go to architectural forums. Ask about CAD services and get the naked truth.

To see the URLs of some good engineering forums and architectural forums, just follow the link given at the end of this article.

Once you get to a forum, what you have to do is register (that only takes 2 minutes and zero expense), then ask the question: “Can anyone recommend a good CAD service, based on first-hand experience?” You might also want to ask for a service dealing with your particular platform (AutoCAD, MicroStation, SolidWorks, whatever).

Gather about 10 CAD service provider names using this method. Then carefully evaluate these 10 companies, by messaging them and evaluating the responses you get. Rank the providers and keep only the top three.(We’ll explain more on how to evaluate them in a subsequent installment of this training).

Divvy up your CAD drafting work amongst these three CAD service providers. Of course if you don’t have volume drafting requirements, maybe you could use them in rotation. But ALWAYS have more than one provider on hand.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this training, which will start to explain how to evaluate the names you got from the forums.

Dell Laptop Computer

In a highly competitive market Dell laptop and notebook computers are known for value, dependability and performance. By selling factory direct with no middleman markup Dell has been able to provide top featured computers at the best prices available. Dell now includes free delivery which is an added value feature.

In buying a laptop computer you must first decide on what features you need. If the computer is to be used only for casual internet surfing and emails, for instance, you do not need a blazing fast machine with a lot of memory and a high performance CPU processor. One gigabyte of RAM memory will be more than enough and for many users even less than that will do the job. A CPU of around 1. 5GHZ to 2GHZ is sufficient. A basic machine will do the job nicely for you and you can save quite a bit of money by looking for a used machine to fit your needs.

If the laptop is going to be used for business purposes you will want a faster processor and plenty of memory. You will also want to have software installed to handle your business needs. Microsoft Office is the standard software which is used for most business purposes. You might also want a book keeping program such as Quicken. You do not require the latest top speed dual core or quad core processor for most business purposes. A lower cost middle of the road processor from Intel or AMD will more than suffice. One gigabyte of RAM memory will handle all your requirements quite nicely. Again if cost is a concern you should consider a used or refurbished laptop which will cost considerably less than a similar new machine.

If your laptop computer is going to be used for gaming you will want a top performing CPU and a lot of memory. You should be looking at a dual core or quad core processor and 3 gigabytes or more of RAM memory. Anything less will mean slower action which is not what you want. Two or more USB ports are needed and the bigger the screen the better. You are looking for a top of the line computer to fit these specifications. Used models are harder to find in this range of machines but there are a few to be had at a saving.

The Dell laptop displays whether the size of the screen is twelve inches or seventeen inches, are designed to provide you with a view rich in color, full of detail, and in all types of lighting conditions. If you are in the market for a new laptop it would be well worth your time to take a good close look at all Dell has to offer. Shop and compare and I am sure your next laptop may very well be a Dell.

The Dell computer corporation, headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, offers everything from servers to laptops, printers to workstations, all with round-the-clock customer service, too. Fortune magazine called Dell America’s “most admired” company.