Photoshop Leaps to the Cloud—Should You Follow?

Whether you want to do portrait touch-ups or reality-bending illustrations, Photoshop is the go-to. And the professional version of the program has become so complex that few people would call themselves experts on all facets of it.

But the software program, now more than two decades old, has just made a huge leap?one that sparked heated responses from customers. Gone are the old cardboard boxes with installation discs. Gone, too, is the need for serial numbers to authenticate electronic downloads. Adobe is moving Photoshop (as well as its entire suite, including Illustrator, InDesign, and Dreamweaver) to a cloud service and charging its users a monthly fee to download and continue using the software.

From Cardboard to Cloud

In early May Adobe Systems announced that customers will have to join an online service called Creative Cloud to access the professional software. The service made its debut last year when the company began luring customers by offering discounts. Now, however, Adobe is using it to phase out the old distribution methods.

For new customers, Photoshop costs $19.99 per month with an annual plan. To gain access to the entire suite of programs, you can upgrade for $49.99 per month. An application manager handles all the software downloads and updates.

There is a catch: Users have to validate memberships periodically (every 30 days for month-to-month subscribers; every 99 days for annual memberships) for security purposes and product updates. The cross-platform license allows users to download programs on up to two personal computers. The synch function preserves the user's preferences and settings on both machines.

The cloud will provide users with continuous software updates, which is another notable departure. Adobe typically ran on an 18- to 24-month development cycle for releasing big enhancements to the program, leaving users to decide whether to hang on to their older versions or spring for the new one. The continuous changes will allow Adobe to more freely integrate features across its suite of programs.

For now the latest version, Photoshop CS6, can be downloaded under a perpetual software license for $699. While the company plans to continue providing bug fixes and security updates for that version, CS6 won't have the latest improvements of the soon-to-be-released Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud).

New Features

As with previous product releases, there will be a host of improvements for Photoshop CC.

Storage: In addition to a seamless updating process, Creative Cloud members will have storage space where they can back up their files or share work with coworkers on multiple devices and within Adobe's user community at large.

Blurring: A new camera-shake reduction tool cuts down on blurring.

Pixelation: In what Adobe calls intelligent upsampling, users can blow up an image to the size of a billboard without pixelating it.

3D Editing: Previously, users had to upgrade to an additional application in order to perform 3D image editing. Now it will be combined in one program.

Alternative Options

Not surprisingly, many users who were upset with the idea of renting rather than owning their creative software took to Adobe's blog and Facebook page to complain. For those feeling loath to pay for the company's cloud service, there are alternatives.

For users who just need basic photo editing, there's still the consumer version, Photoshop Elements 11, which downloads for a one-time fee of $99.99. To minimize the learning curve, you can switch from "Quick," "Guided," or "Expert" editing modes. Among many clever features in Elements 11 is one that lets you plot your photos on a map based on where they were taken.

There are several free applications. For Mac users, the most basic is Apple's iPhoto that comes installed on new computers and can do the basics. The latest version, iPhoto '11, can create calendars, cards and other print products through Apple's fee-based service. Windows users can download the highly acclaimed Paint.NET. Its advanced features allow users to work in layers and undo edits with a History tool.

There are dozens of free Web-based editors, such as Gimpshop. The downside is that you have to first upload your photos to a third-party site, then download them again if you want edited copies on your hard drive. Otherwise, it's fairly easy to share images via social media.

Adobe's Photoshop Express Editor mimics the common features of its software versions. It also provides a good starting point if you want to get more advanced later on. FotoFlexer is a good alternative as well.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/software/photoshop-leaps-to-the-cloud-should-you-follow-15535069?src=rss

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New speaker system for cars creates separate 'audio zones' for front and rear seats

May 30, 2013 ? Ever wish that your car?s interior cabin could have separate audio zones for the front and rear seats? It soon may.

A new approach achieves independent listening zones within a car by using small, modified speakers to produce directional sound fields and a signal processing strategy that optimizes the audio signals used to drive each of the speakers. The new design will be presented at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013), held June 2-7 in Montreal.

Today, car cabins often reverberate with the sounds of music, video soundtracks, navigation system instructions, telecommunications, and warning sounds. Problems arise, however, when occupants of the same car want to listen to different programs. The driver may require navigation system instructions and warning sounds, while the kids in the back seat want to watch a movie. Intergenerational audio conflict might be avoided, however, with a new type of car speaker system.

?We?ve begun developing an audio reproduction system capable of producing independent listening zones in the front and rear seats of a car cabin ? without the use of headphones,? says Jordan Cheer, Research Fellow in Active Control at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton, UK. ?Our system uses standard car audio loudspeakers, which are usually mounted in the doors of the car, at low frequencies, and these are complemented by a set of small loudspeakers mounted to the headrests.?

?Our complete system is able to achieve a significant level of isolation between the front and rear seating positions to provide independent listening zones for the front and rear cabin occupants,? Cheer says.

The necessary degree of isolation between the two listening zones depends on the audio program, he explains. For example, if speech is being reproduced at the front seats and pop music is playing in the rear seats, a higher level of isolation is required than if pop music were playing in both zones.

Future work on the system will factor in the effect of the audio program selection on the required system performance. Based on this information, the researchers will continue to explore improvements to both loudspeaker configuration and digital signal processing.

Presentation 1aSP9, ?Design and implementation of a personal audio system in a car cabin,? is in the morning session on Monday, June 3. Abstract: http://asa.aip.org/web2/asa/abstracts/search.jun13/asa117.html

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MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ICA 2013 MONTREAL

USEFUL LINKS:
Main meeting website: http://www.ica2013montreal.org/
Itinerary planner and technical program: http://acousticalsociety.org/meetings/ica-2013/

WORLD WIDE PRESS ROOM
ASA's World Wide Press Room (www.acoustics.org/press) will be updated with additional tips on dozens of newsworthy stories and with lay-language papers, which are 300-1200 word summaries of presentations written by scientists for a general audience and accompanied by photos, audio, and video.

PRESS REGISTRATION
We will grant free registration to credentialed journalists and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend, contact Jason Bardi (jbardi@aip.org, 240-535-4954), who can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information.

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This news release was prepared for the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world's leading journal on acoustics), Acoustics Today magazine, ECHOES newsletter, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. For more information about ASA, visit our website at http://www.acousticalsociety.org.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/technology/~3/Jcv72FaN8O8/130530152842.htm

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So you have found an interesting old family tree - Hertfordshire ...

Recently Glen asked me about the origins of William Costain of St Stephens, St Albans, 1754-1827, as he had recently inherited a family history drafted by a great uncle, and this reminded me of my early days researching my ancestors. Finding old family histories can lead to important breakthroughs in your research - but there are also pitfalls - so you should always check against modern online records.
My Grandfather Walter Richard Locke (1867-1957) had acquired the family history researches of his eldest sister Eliza Mary Locke (1850-1926). She had inherited the extensive family history notes of her uncle, Robert Gibbs (1816-1893), who wrote The History of Aylesbury. His papers included a family history in verse written in about 1820 by his great uncle, John Rolls (1756-1838). A significant part of Robert Gibbs' papers were of significant local history interest and fortunately my grandfather donated the collection to what is now the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies. If he had not done so they would almost certainly have ended up in the rubbish when he died.

Of course the find was a gold mine and as a beginner I lapped it up and transferred hundreds of names to my family tree on the assumption that everything was correct.. In particular some branches of the family were non-conformists and the records of the relevant chapels have not survived. The problem was that while there was invaluable material in the old family records there was also some real problem areas when I looked more closely.?

For instance John Rolls had recorded an incident during the Civil War involving a direct ancestor - but when I tracked down the appropriate parish records I found William Rolls was too young to have been involved in the way described. The story might have applied to William's eldest brother, Ralph, who John failed to mention. In addition, while in some of his records John mentioned large numbers of relatives he may well have met during his lifetime there were few dates or places to tie them down precisely.

In his researches Robert Gibbs had tried to find out even earlier Rolls ancestors, writing to vicars (including a "donation") to ask whether the registers contained the details he was seeking - and much of this now appears to have been mere speculation. He had also documented the genealogy of the Gibbs family of Winslow where six sons all married and had large families. Virtually all the boys were named either their father, their paternal grandfather or an uncle - so there were many identically named children of about the same age. His family tree might have sorted out which one was which - but on the main ancestral line there are two copies - which are different. Which was the draft and which was the corrected version we may never know.

Eliza Mary Locke's notes were interesting in that she had tried to explore some of the lines - but getting access to the records 100 years ago clearly limited what she could do. However one thing she could have easily done was missing. She would undoubtedly have known her paternal grandfather William Speed Locke (1796-1873) but he is omitted from her notes. I eventually found the reason for this omission - She was a prim and proper Victorian lady - and her grandfather was illegitimate.?

The important lesson to learn is that old family records should be cherished - but they should also be looked at critically. Reminiscence type records are extremely useful, but can be uncertain about dates, and can be very selective - with the disreputable side being omitted. The old documents may well have been a draft which included speculations which the original author never checked out. In addition they may include information from original documents that no longer exist. But remember that your ancestors had far less access to key records than we have today. So if you come across old family history research remember that it should be thoroughly checked against modern indexes to verify the genealogy. Not only will the result be more relaible, but you may also make significant new discoveries on the way.

Source: http://hertfordshire-genealogy.blogspot.com/2013/05/so-you-have-found-interesting-old.html

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IFC boosts lending to Africa as private sector interest rises

By Daniel Flynn

DAKAR (Reuters) - The World Bank's investment arm will increase lending to sub-Saharan Africa by up to a quarter this year as private sector companies flock to the fast-growing region, its vice-president said.

Jean-Philippe Prosper said the International Finance Corporation (IFC) would make new investments of between $4.5 and $5 billion for the fiscal year ending in June, up from $4 billion the previous year.

The least developed continent is experiencing an economic growth surge, outpacing global averages. The World Bank sees Sub-Saharan Africa's GDP accelerating to more than 5 percent over three years, driven by investment and commodity prices.

Prosper said projects to upgrade infrastructure for the region's 1 billion people were attracting yield-hungry investors, while governments were keen to share the costs to free budget resources for poverty relief.

"In the past, nobody wanted to talk about Africa ... Now more people are coming," Prosper told Reuters. "We would not be able do this level of financing without private sector projects. We did not invent these projects ourselves."

Roughly half the IFC's annual lending in the region goes to financial markets and institutions to help improve the flow of credit to small businesses, which employ most of Africa's workers.

Another third goes to infrastructure projects - mostly transport and electricity - and natural resources investments.

The IFC holds a 5 percent stake in the giant Simandou south iron ore project in Guinea, managed by Rio Tinto, which was due to start production in 2015 but has been hit by lower iron prices and political and regulatory concerns.

Prosper, who met Guinean officials last week, voiced confidence the $15-$20 billion project would go ahead. There have been doubts the government can finance its 51 percent stake in a 700 km (430 mile) railway and offshore loading berth.

"Our discussions were extremely positive. There was interest from government officials to go ahead with the project," he said. "Simandou is a good test. If it works, you will be amazed by the level of investment which will follow in Guinea."

POWER PROJECTS

Post-conflict recovery in Ivory Coast, the economic powerhouse of francophone West Africa, was helping to revive investor appetite for the region, Prosper said. The economy of the world's largest cocoa producer grew 9.8 percent last year as it recovered from a civil war after disputed 2010 elections.

The IFC provided $135 million for the 139 megawatt expansion of the Azito power station, near commercial capital Abidjan, and organised the remaining $277 million of funding for the project.

In Senegal, it is now assessing an investment in the 70 megawatt Tobene power plant, with a cost of $150 million. "Power is the main constraint to investment in Africa," said Prosper.

To help deepen financial markets, the IFC has made shelf listings for local currency bonds in a number of countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia and Rwanda. It recently issued a five-year naira bond in Nigeria, worth some $50 million.

"Zambia and Rwanda are probably quite close to the point where we might do something. But we don't want to issue bonds just to issue bonds. We want to make sure we are going to do something with them," Prosper said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ifc-boosts-lending-africa-private-sector-interest-rises-151455488.html

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Coming Up on 'This Week': Warren Buffett, Powerhouse Roundtable (ABC News)

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