• Photographic dictionary: Very sleeky and useful. I know the word “blurry” too well.
• Social Butterfly Does bad grammar make you [sic]? [Yes!]
• Your Writing Is Killing Your Writing: I’m a perfectionist, hear me whimper. But I’ve learned to let go. Even if the topic doesn’t interest you, check out the picture.
• How to Handle Monumental Screwups When They DO Happen.
• How to Increase Revenue Fast! See #6 for an amazing and creative tip. Another goodie from same blog (TPE guy is awesome!): 163 Ways How To Become An Entrepreneur.
• RevenueTwoPointZero: Offers four strategies for funding journalism.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Photographs of residents in their flats in Hong Kong’s oldest public housing estate: 100 rooms, each 100 square feet in size. And to think some of us complain about 2,000+ sq. feet homes?
• FunPhotoBox: Easier and funner than Photoshopping your photos.
• Font Game: Can you figure out the fonts?
• Illusions Database: A new illusion every day.

First, roughly 10 of you are eagerly checking this blog because you want to know if you won a copy of Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids from yesterday’s guest post.

Random.org, do your thang! Presto!

#11!! Congratulations, Jenni!

• 100 Twitter tools sorted logically.
• 7 Tips to Make Sure You Get Paid: Thank goodness, I’ve only had two clients that required extra effort to get their payment for my services.
• 10 Types of Bad Clients and How to Avoid Them
• 47 Twitter Power Users’ Secrets To Getting Many Followers
• What the Flip Is Social Media? (this is a G-rated site, peeps): Link comes from a high school friend on Facebook… wow. Never thought I’d see the day.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 100+ Funny Photos Taken At Unusual Angle: Beware, some not appropriate for work or around kids.
• 10 Intense Public Guerrilla Marketing Posters.
• Netdisaster: Destroy a web site. I’ve seen these before, but figure someone needs to burn a web site to feel better.
• Lookitsme 404 Page: Funny! Watch it until white paper shows up. I love a good 404. Used to have one, but haven’t been able to fix it.
• Geek Crafts: Star Wars Cookbooks stars Wookie Cookies. Heh. [Link: Jenn Fowler]
• My Life with Cables: How Simon and I feel about ‘em.

• Simply Scripts: Read screenplays, movie scripts, and more.
• Twitter Tips: Twitter tips in 140 characters or more.
• Daily Routines: It sounds boring, but having a daily routine helps successful people get things done. I’ve made it a habit to read emails first thing and follow that with my biggest writing work of the day. I save the tedious work for the afternoon when I am not as effective. It takes 21 days to create a new habit — so pick one and stick with it for three weeks.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Inaugural Preparations: W.O.W.
• Long Exposure Photography: W.O.W. #2.
• Wii Fail: Why you should keep the remote strap around your wrist.
• Reflections: Photographer captures scenes through puddles.
• The Dullest Blog in the World: So dull that it’s so funny. It gets LOTS of comments… does that mean mine is more boring?

Thank goodness for the digital camera. People like me with a lousy eye can take hundreds of photos and experiment until our eyes fall out and get a couple of gems. Despite my left-handedness, I don’t have a natural eye for photography, art, or anything of the sort. It all went into writing.

With three kids, photos are important to me as I want to capture many times of their lives so we may reflect on them with a visual aid. A good photo does make a difference. Again, with three kids, who has time to read a book or take a class to become one with a camera? The Digital Photography Pocket Guide fills that need.

It has three simple chapters with quick reference tables in the back of the book. It’s small enough to fit into your camera bag, laptop case, briefcase, suitcase, or jacket pocket. The chapters address What is it? What do I do? and How do I? questions.

What is it? covers the basic, intermediate, and advanced features found on digital cameras. It’s the shortest chapter as once you get familiar with the features, you won’t need the chapter anymore and you still have roughly 85 pages of material to support you when you’re out there trying to capture the world you see.

Once you’ve conquered the buttons and figured out what most of the symbols and modes mean, you’re ready to dig deeper into the features and gain control of the camera with answers to your what does it do? types of questions relating to exposure and Flash compensation, white balance, ISO speed, and resolution.

The last chapter is more free flowing as you and the camera have become one. Get tips on taking outdoor and group shots including sporting events where players are moving fast. Capture kids, travel spots, and wedding memories with class. As kids grow up, you may not return to the same places, and weddings happen only once (we would hope, unless it’s a renewal of vows).
Adding this book to your camera tool bag is a step forward to better pictures and a better understanding of those fancy photography terms – which aren’t a big deal after you read author Derrick Story’s simple and clear explanations.

VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: Digital Photography Pocket Guide, 2nd ed.
AUTHOR: Derrick Story
PUBLISHER: O’Reilly & Associates
PUBLICATION DATE: December 2003
ISBN: 0596006276
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 160
PRICE: US$14.95

My five-year-old finds the old camera with batteries still in it, but no film. He flashes away at everything in the house making us all blind. I plan to get him and his older sister a digital camera with a memory card, so they can take as many pictures as they want and nothing is wasted. Bad photos don’t die, they just get deleted and don’t cost a dime except they use “battery energy.”

This book from the O’Reilly hack series differs from the other in that it has color images. Since there are colored images, the headers are blue instead of traditional black and that’s why the book costs a tad more than the other Hacks books. The landscape photos are spectacular, so you get a little bit of art along with instruction in the book.

Straight lines and I don’t get along. The only way for me to draw one is to have a ruler, but it can still be slanted unless I do other precise measuring to ensure it’s straight from end to end. The first series of hacks covers tripods, travel-sized to one made for a bike. As expected, learn how to capture magic with flash and take professional portraits with a two flash-setup.

The hacks aren’t just hardware-related. Receive tips on taking daylight and nighttime photos with and dealing with kids, whiteboards, passport photos, panoramas, and other objects. (Kids aren’t objects, mind you). Almost 100 pages cover using the computer and software like Photoshop to manipulate images.

A chapter covers camera phones, providing creative ideas for their use. The chapter is brief, so those without an interest or a camera phone won’t feel like a few bucks have been wasted. The next time you’re bored, go to the projects section near the end of the book for ideas on what to do with photos. Such projects are guaranteed to keep you busy for hours and having fun in the process; maybe with a little frustration thrown in as what good project ever works perfectly?

Who will benefit from the book? Those who want to learn the things the pros do without spending time experimenting. Those who aren’t afraid to experiment or try new techniques. Those who want to make a camera do things without buying expensive equipment like professionals use. Traditional photographers making the move to digital will benefit. The group that won’t benefit are the folks who use a camera on vacation or on special occasions and snap at everything in sight without a worry about how subject is lined up.

VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: Digital Photography Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips and Tools
AUTHOR: Derrick Story
PUBLISHER: O’Reilly & Associates
PUBLICATION DATE: May 2004
ISBN: 0596006667
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 332
PRICE: US$29.95