Can you name at least three problems with the Canon PowerShot SD750 Digital Elph Camera? If you can’t, then maybe you shouldn’t even be considering buying one. I’m not suggesting, that the SD750 is a terrible camera, I’m just suggesting that you should know what your getting before you buy it. Knowing the flaws in a digital camera (even a Canon) before you buy is the key factor in your after purchase satisfaction. Let’s consider some of the problems with the SD750 Digital Elph.

If your one of those consumers who is considering upgrading their PowerShot SD500 to a SD750 because of the large LCD screen, be careful. The SD750 has a 3 inch LCD screen. However, the big LCD is really not enough to make the upgrade worthwhile. While megapixels and image sensor are the same between the two cameras, the image quality is not. Images shot in less than ideal light using the flash turn out much more detailed on the SD500. Possibly due to slightly different lenses.

The technical definition for chromatic aberration (sometimes called purple fringing) is what happens, when a camera lens has problems focusing different wavelengths of light onto a common focal plane. In layman’s terms, what you will see is a mild to extremely blurred picture. The PowerShot SD750 seems to have a bit too much chromatic aberration, especially shooting in wide angle mode with the aperture at it’s maximum setting. Since this flaw is very specific to certain wavelengths (colors), you may or may not see this artifact in your images.

As with many cameras in this category, you’ll notice a degradation in your ability to take more than one picture in rapid succession with the SD750. The prime culprits here are slow SD memory cards, and weak batteries. The flash, and the now larger LCD contribute to the problem. What can help, is buying the fastest speed memory cards you can, and quality batteries.

While this is not an exclusive list, a couple of other items to be concerned with are:

- no optical viewfinder

- a less than intuitive menu and control system

- an excessive number of features for a ultra compact, that you’ll probably never use

- no manual exposure settings available

- short battery life

- zoom option not usable for shooting videos

Not to suggest you shouldn’t buy the PowerShot SD750, just hoping your aware of what your getting into. All digital cameras have some flaws for certain people. What it really comes down to, is how you want to use the camera. I’ve generally found the the intended photographers particular shooting style is the single most important factor in making a new camera purchase.

Public speaking success unfortunately doesn’t just happen by itself. Practicing your speech in advance of the big day isn’t optional - it’s essential! It will make the difference between walking a tightrope of mental anxiety, never feeling fully sure footed and knowing if you’re going to trip up- and being a confident, compelling presenter who feels and looks in control.

There are some things you can do to help your practice no end:

Really know your content. Don’t ever be tempted to wing it - that ‘flying by the seat of your pants’ feeling is rarely exhilarating - and is usually terrifying when facing a group of people looking expectantly at you! As a bare minimum, know what you are going to say, what your keys points are and how you will open and close your talk. You cannot be over informed about your subject. Learn as much about it as you can. That’s not to say to have to be the font of all knowledge, but knowing a subject really well will help your confidence and your ability to make compelling arguments.

Have your visual aids prepared and have a run through using them. - I know it sounds obvious but I’ve seen too many people create their PowerPoint presentation or have some lovely visual aids and then fall apart because they’ve not used them as part of their speech or had a proper run through with them. This is especially important if you’re using something that can be a bit temperamental - like technology. There is no rule that says ‘thou must use PowerPoint’ - but it can be very effective especially if you’re speaking to large numbers. But if you are speaking to a smaller group, consider if it’s the best medium for you - perhaps a flipchart would be better or some coloured handouts.

Find a quiet place where you can be uninterrupted. Stick a sign on the door if you have to but make sure no one will disturb you. It’s very difficult to relax and really practice what you’re going to do if you’re worried that someone’s going to interrupt your flow. OR…

Practice with someone else - this is actually my preferred method but I know it takes a bit of a leap of faith to overcome your shyness if you’re just starting out presenting. Having that outside eye is a fantastic way of discovering how you really perform - both good and bad. If you’re feeling especially nervous, practicing in front of a trusted colleague, partner or friend can be a good way of gaining some valuable positive and constructive feedback - but beware of choosing someone who is overly critical. You want some balanced constructive feedback - not a list of all the things you did wrong! Help your partner out by giving them guidance on what you’d most like feedback on - how well you project your voice? How you use your visual aids? Are your key points clear? What is your timing like? By guiding them you can often get better quality feedback than just leaving it open ended.

Practice as if you are going to doing it for real - so this will usually involve standing and saying your speech out loud. It will sound very different than just running it through in your head. Standing has an effect on the amount of oxygen you will be using, and how your voice will sound. It will give you a better indication of where you need to put pauses and emphasis than if you were sat down. It also helps to create a positive memory for your to recall later of actually being stood and talking.

If at all possible, practice in the room your going to be giving your speech. Different rooms have different ‘feels’ to them which will effect how far your voice will carry and how ‘big’ you have to make your presense to be heard.

Tape yourself. We all sound very different inside our heads than we do to others. That weird sound on the tape recorder that doesn’t sound like your voice? Well, actually that’s how it sounds to everyone else when it’s not filtered through the internal acoustics of our heads. You need to gain an understanding of how your presentation will sound to others. For example, often our nerves make us speed up our speech - but presenters often don’t realise by just how much because they’re brains are also running a bit fast. Listening to yourself can help you to gauge what speed you talk so that you can slow it down to a more manageable pace for your audience. Focus too on where you are placing emphasis on certain words, where you can pause for dramatic effect,

One word of caution is to not over rehearse to the point where you can recite your speech word for word - or even close to it. You want your audience to feel that this is a genuine conversation you’re having with them, filled with passion and verve. This tends to get rehearsed out if you go over things too much. It’s much better to make sure you are confident in your content and you’re key points and the rest will follow from there.

http://www.beagreatpresenter.com

Why Search Engines Rank Web Pages

Search engines strive to produce quality search results for their users. They want to be able to give you exactly what you are looking for at the best quality. One way that the search engines can tell if you have important information for its users is if your page has other pages linking to it. Various other factors come into play to ensure quality search results.

Number of Links

Although not the most important factor in determining a web page’s importance for a specific keyword, it is a popular way of getting up in the rankings. Every newly created page may give away a “page rank point” of about 0.10 or 0.15 in importance. This could be from external or internal links.

Percentage of Links

More importantly than number of links to a web page, is the number of other links on the page that link to a web page. To determine the amount of distributed “page rank points” to a web page from a link, multiply the total amount of “page rank points” distributed by the percentage of links.

The Dampening Factor

The dampening factor is the number that is multiplied by the distributed “page rank points” to a specific web page. This is then added to the given “page rank point” of an estimated 0.10 or 0.15. This dampening factor is usually around 0.80 to 0.85 .

Logarithmic Page Ranking Points

A web page with page ranking of 1 will have 1 page rank point to divide up and distribute. However, a web page with a page ranking of 2 will have 10 times that! And a web page with a ranking of 3 will divide and distribute 100 “page rank points”! This is why it is better to get a link from popular and respected web pages. This is the most important factor in getting higher ranking pages that I have found.

The Equation

Now, it’s time to put it all together. Below I will provide a sample equation to which you can plug in numbers to predict your web page’s future page ranking. Though the true equations that search engines use are trade secrets and the PageRanks are rounded to integers, this equation should give you a fairly good idea of your web page’s future page ranking.

PageRank(YourWebPage) =
(0.15) + (0.85)*{[(#ofYourLinks)*10^(TheirPageRank - 1)]/(Total#OfLinks) + (MorePageRankingPoints)}

Filters

There are several important filters that each link goes through before distributing “page ranking points”. These filters that can hurt or ban your web site include, but are not limited to…

• Duplicate Content
• Irrelevant Content
• Fast Link Building (100+ a month)
• Links From Inappropriate or Banned Web Pages
• Inbound Links Having a “nofollow” Attribute

Boosters

There are several things that can boost your rankings in the search engines, too. Some of these are debated, but won’t hurt to encourage. Several boosters include…

• KeyWord in the Title Tag and Meta Tags
• KeyWord Towards Top of the Body of the Web Page and in Header Tags
• High Traffic
• Linking Keywords (anchor text)
• Links From Government, Educational, and Well Known Web Sites

For more information on internet marketing and tools to enhance your internet income, visit the Online Business Community and Resource Center, VestRite Internet Practices.

www.VestRite.com

Your thoughts are affected by your attitude. Your attitude is affected by the people you surround yourself with. Mental attitude will be positive if you are with positive can-do attitude rather than those who have a negative, it is all too difficult, why bother attitude. When a person can maintain a positive attitude they will find that they have a higher level of energy thus allowing them to have a greater degree of personal power.

Positive attitude’s lead to finding interesting opportunities that can benefit everyone around you. With this attitude mountains will turn into molehills. Whereas a negative attitude can cause you to have major setbacks. Personal power comes through positive mental attitude. When a positive attitude is in place it attracts others who can help them, it attracts people with solutions to problems, and it will develop and strengthen your own personal power ultimately leading to your own success.

Anyone has the ability to tap into the power of a positive attitude. With persistence and effort you can gradually change your thoughts into predominantly positive ones. The process of change is not as daunting as it may seem. The first step to understanding how personal power works is to step back and watch yourself and the events as they unfold. Try to determine what attitude you are having in any given situation. It maybe helpful to write down each night the events of the day and in a column next to it write down what attitude you had during the event. When you have an event in black and white on a piece of paper it is easier to look back objectively at how you handled the situation.

The real key is to add the third column. This is how to develop your own personal power. Write down the ways you could have handled the situation in a more positive light. This will allow you to see where changes are needed. By keeping a record it allows you to see the progress you are making.

As days unfold, begin to work on the areas you have identified in your inventory. You will see the amazing difference small changes are having in tapping into your own personal power. Having the ability to look at your mind set on paper enables you to understand in a completely objective way what your strengths and weaknesses are. This is the secret to understanding your personal power and making it work for you.

Bright blessings,
Ashira
http://www.ashira.ws
ashira@ashira.ws
Ashira is a Practicing Pagan for over 15 years. Currently she is a featured columnist at http://Asknow.com
The Witches’ Child Author
Bacon Bits Author
FFWA Member
Cassel Network of Writers Member