Tip of the day: Use metadata to organize digital pictures

If you shoot lots of digital pictures, learn how to take advantage of information called metadata to keep track of extra details. Image metadata is nonpicture information that’s captured and stored within a picture file. Most digital cameras use the Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) format to store metadata when saving pictures; images may also include metadata that conforms to the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) and Adobe’s Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) standards. (To learn more about the EXIF standard, visit http://www.exif.org; for more details about XMP, see http://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/overview.html.)

EXIF metadata typically includes the date and time the picture was taken, the width and height of the image (in pixels), the resolution (in dpi), and the color depth. Depending on the camera you use, metadata can also include technical information such as the camera model, flash mode, aperture, and exposure time. Some high-end devices even allow you to add audio annotations to images and store them in the same file.

A few bits of metadata are available in the ScreenTip that appears when you pause the mouse pointer over an image file.

Img_metadata

Windows XP doesn’t allow you to edit image metadata. But you can use it to sort and organize image files in Windows Explorer. To see all available metadata for an individual image file, right-click the file icon and then choose Properties. On the Summary tab, click Advanced to display a scrolling list of available metadata properties and values. Image data appears above the Description data, as shown here.

Img_metadata2

To really take advantage of metadata, you need to customize the Windows Explorer window so that metadata information is visible. To do so, switch to Details view, right-click any column heading, and then select the names of available fields to make those columns visible. Click More at the bottom of the list to see all possible fields. If you add the Date Picture Taken column, for instance, you can then click the column heading to sort by this field and gather pictures that were taken around the same time.

[Note: This tip is adapted from Windows XP Inside Out, Second Edition.]

Spyware cut in half?

This might be good news:

The spread of spyware is slowing down, a Dell executive has told the Louisiana Senate’s Select Committee on Consumer Affairs and Technology.

The number of spyware-related support calls to the Dell helpdesk has halved over the past year, according to Mike George, Dell’s vice president for US Consumer Business.

Hmmm. What (SP2) happened in the past year (SP2) that could have made it more difficult (SP2) for purveyors of crapware to push unwanted software onto computers? I’m sure it’ll come to me if I just think about it long enough.

(Via Donna Buenaventura)

Tip of the day: Automatically resize columns in Windows Explorer

If you regularly use Explorer’s Details view, here’s a convenient keyboard shortcut you should know about. After opening an Explorer window in Details view, hold down the Ctrl key and press the Plus (+) key on the numeric keypad. This shortcut instantly and automatically resizes each column based on the width of the longest entry in that column, so you can see all the file details.

One more time: You CAN legally buy a copy of Media Center Edition

Update, December 2005: In August of this year, Microsoft changed its OEM licensing rules, eliminating the silly requirement that you had to buy a trivial little piece of hardware along with an OEM operating system. Now, anyone can buy an OEM version of any Windows operating system, including Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, if they are a “system builder.” And the rules of the System Builder specifically state that a hobbyist qualifies, without having to join any organization or pay any fees. For more details, see this post.

The other day, I pointed to a post by a Microsoft blogger who claimed you can’t legally buy an OEM copy of Windows XP Media Center Edition unless it’s installed on a new PC. I provided lots of evidence to prove that’s not true, including quotes from Microsoft’s Web site and from official representatives of the OEM Systems Group, as well as from the license agreement itself.

That’s not enough for some people, I guess. Case in point, Ed Oswald, who writes a blog called The Daily Ed and says his occupation is “Reporter, BetaNews.” In a blog post today, Ed insists that “The official line from Microsoft is that Windows Media Center Edition is not available as a standalone product.” After a couple of confusing paragraphs that refer to eBay and the absence of a retail price for this software, Ed concludes, “So, in response, my answer is right. Because legally, as said by the company itself, Windows Media Center is not sold seperately, and only with a new PC.”

Ed, you’re wrong. Don’t just listen to me; here’s Microsoft’s own take on the subject. As part of its System Builder program, Microsoft produced this official Product Guide for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005:

System Builders must distribute each desktop operating system unit with either a fully assembled computer system or a nonperipheral computer hardware component.

Non-peripheral hardware? What’s that? Conveniently, Microsoft has put together a Web page that defines the term:

What is Non-peripheral Hardware?
A non-peripheral hardware component is one essential to running a PC

Examples of non-peripheral hardware:
Memory
Internal drives
Mice
Keyboards
Power supplies/cords

Examples of components not considered essential are:
Scanners
Printers
Cameras
External modems
Networking device

In other words, you can legally buy a copy of Windows XP Media Center Edition (or any OEM edition of Windows XP for that matter) from any authorized reseller as long as you buy it with a power cord. Or a mouse. Or a keyboard. OK? That’s the legal, official answer. (Note that this is not true of OEM copies of application software, like Office, or server software, like Microsoft Exchange. Those can only be sold with a fully assembled computer system.)

Over to you, Ed.

Update: On his blog, Ed replies, “I have really not heard of one person who would want to go through the trouble of obtaining MCE through this process – even if it is possible, it sure isn’t advertised, and I’m sure even if you contacted a customer service representative, many of them wouldn’t even know how to sell it to you anyways.”

Not advertised? C’mon, Ed. Here are four large companies that prominently advertise Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 on their Web sites and will gladly sell it to you without requiring that you buy a new PC. All you have to do is click a link; you don’t even have to talk to a sales rep:

Newegg, $129.95

PC Alchemy, $119.95

Allstarshop.com, $128.00

Chief Value, $125.99

In each case, the listing makes clear that the software must be purchased with hardware. So throw a $1.99 power cord or a $5 generic mouse into your shopping basket. Or get that memory upgrade you’ve been thinking of. Or upgrade your hard drive. Use your imagination.

Remind me not to take BetaNews too seriously from now on, if this is the quality of their “reporters.”

All of the above companies still sell Media Center OEM versions. A few still include the outdated requirement that you must purchase a qualifying peripheral. Newegg is a notable exception. In keeping with the updated license terms, it now has this text in the product description:

OEM versions are intended for system builders only and cannot be transferred to another PC once it is installed. Purchasers of this software are required to comply with the terms of the System Builder License, including responsibility for providing all end-user support.

So, bottom line: You can still legally buy a copy of Media Center Edition 2005.

More irrelevant radio news

Steve Rubel passes along this tidbit:

Z100 – a popular Top 40 station in New York – has debuted some podcasts. To my knowledge, they’re one of the few Top 40 stations that have done so. They may even be the first. What’s unique is that they include interviews with big stars like Kelly Clarkson and J-Lo.

Why should I care what some Clear Channel station in New York is doing? Why should anyone do a damned thing to promote a sleazy corporation that is doing its best to concentrate media in this country and discourage diversity? Kelly Clarkson is raw material for the pop culture sausage machine. Same for J-Lo. In a world where there are literally thousands of artists who are doing great new stuff that isn’t controlled by the RIAA or Clear Channel, why should I download a commercial-filled 20 minutes of pabulum from these guys and play it on my iPod?

Steve’s instincts are normally good, but this “news” is laughable.

(PS: If you go to Z100’s Web site, be sure to check out the banner full of sleazy ads at the very top of the page. Low mortgages rates? Bad credit refinance! Online dating! It’s like they dumped a whole mailbox full of spam into a single banner. Nice respect for your audience, Clear Channel.)

Update: Just to clarify, I think Steve Rubel is smart, well informed, and a great commentator on developments in the blogosphere. That’s why his blog is in my RSS reader. I just don’t share his positive outlook about Clear Channel. See the comments for more.

Is this the perfect Tablet PC?

Michael Gartenberg has convinced me to put the new X41 ThinkPad Tablet PC on my short list:

This device is a no compromise system that’s perfect for business use. The Tablet functionality simply adds a hugely powerful mobile feature to what is already a killer device. Want pen based functions. You got it. Want to go ahead and type a long email with a full size ThinkPad keyboard. Done. Want to work for more than six hours on a single battery charge. It’s in there. The wonder of this machine is that it’s not revolutionary. It’s not the thinnest, lightest, cheapest or most expensive. It is the best of the breed. This is a device that will clearly be the Tablet of choice for the verticals that need the functionality immediately and I suspect this machine is the first Tablet that can be good enough over time to make inroads with horizontal mainstream users as well. The Tablet PC edition of Windows isn’t dead, it’s just been hibernating waiting for the release of this machine.

~~Still nothing on the Lenovo site with product details – only this Webcast.~~

Update: Details on the X41 Tablet (including a 3D tour) are here and full specs are here. (Thanks to jkOnTheRun for the pointer.) Up to 8.5 hours battery life? Under 4 pounds? Yes!

I am, however, steeling myself for the price tag, which I assume will be formidable.

Dude, where’s your Tablet PC?

Robert McLaws grabs Dell by the collar and slaps them silly for not having a single Tablet PC in their lineup because “the market is too small.”

One of the main reasons the Tablet business is so small is because you’re not playing in it yet. Wake up and smell the consumers! You guys are the #1 marketer to the average computing consumer. If you guys had a Tablet, a smart ad campaign from the Dell Dude (fresh out of Rehab or wherever), and had the same financing options you do now, you’d have a LOT more Tablet sales.

Absolutely right. Dell drives me crazy with dumb support policies and practices, but they still make excellent products at unbeatable prices, and I buy or specify a lot of Dell products. I’m getting ready to replace my Toshiba Tablet PC with a new model, and it kills me that Dell isn’t competing for my business.

FM radio is dead

Wired News has details of the latest move by the FM radio industry to survive in a world where they’re increasingly becoming irrelevant:

From Seattle and San Diego to Baltimore and Buffalo, more than a dozen big-city radio stations have converted to a format known as Jack-FM over the past two months. On Friday, even legendary New York City oldies station WCBS-FM dumped ’60s rock and joined the ‘Jack’ parade.

Boasting they’re “like an iPod on shuffle,” the new stations typically dump their disc jockeys in favor of huge song playlists that mimic a well-stocked portable music player.

The Jack format, which is already spawning imitators, could be a key to FM’s survival as an alternative to satellite radio, internet radio and MP3 players.

This just reeks of desperation. It’s also a way to get rid of employees. And it’s going to turn listeners away, too.

I rarely listen to the radio anymore, and I never listen to stations that have a “format,” where some suit tells the serfs which buttons to push. Shuffle is fun once in a while, but it also results in jarring transitions between tracks that shouldn’t be played back to back. Being a DJ (a real DJ, not a droid on a “formatted” station) is a skilled profession, practically an art. Building a playlist that makes sense takes talent and experience and a real ear for music. Sadly, people who have those skills don’t have many opportunities to practice them anymore.

Anyone wanna bet how long this lame format lasts? I give it 18 months, tops.

Tip of the day: Download Windows updates or signed drivers

You’re doing a fresh installation of Windows XP. Is there a way to download service packs and updates so that you don’t have to go through a long, long update process before you can use your computer? Yes. In fact, this method is especially useful if the new computer has only a dial-up connection but you have access to a high-speed computer elsewhere.

The Windows Update Catalog allows you to search for specific updates depending on the version of Windows you currently have installed. If you only have the original release of Windows XP, choose Windows XP RTM (Home Edition) or Windows XP Professional RTM from the list. If you have downloaded and installed Service Pack 2 separately, choose the SP2 option for your version of Windows. (If you’re looking for drivers, click Find driver updates for hardware devices and search by category.)

Wu_catalog

After you click Search, you’ll see a list of available downloads, arranged by category: Critical Updates and Service Packs, Multi-Language Features, Recommended Updates, and so on. Click the Add button for an individual update to make it part of your download basket. Click the Download Now button to fetch the files you’ve tagged. You can then burn the files to CD or other media to make them available for installation.

Can you buy an OEM copy of Windows XP Media Center Edition? Yes.

Update: In August 2005, Microsoft changed its OEM licensing rules, eliminating the silly requirement that you had to buy a trivial little piece of hardware along with an OEM operating system. Now, anyone can buy an OEM version of any Windows operating system, including Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, if they are a “system builder.” And the rules of the System Builder program specifically state that a hobbyist qualifies, without having to join any organization or pay any fees. For more details, see this post.

Michael Creasy answers some questions on his blog and gets one wrong:

I’ve seen the Media Center software for sale online is it OK to buy it? I’m no lawyer so I’m not going to comment on this. Media Center is an OEM product and only available with new PCs is the official answer though.

Sorry, that’s not true. I covered this topic earlier this year in a post entitled Everything you always wanted to know about Windows Product Activation. Yes, you can buy an OEM copy of Windows XP with a new PC. But you can also buy your own OEM copy of Windows XP if you purchase it with a “non-peripheral computer hardware component.” Qualifying products include memory, internal drives, mice, keyboards, and power supplies/cords. This type of OEM license includes a CD, a Certificate of Authenticity, and a product key, and it requires activation.

There are many vendors who will sell you an OEM copy of Windows XP Media Center Edition. Just buy an appropriate piece of hardware with it and you’ll be fine.

(I’m pretty sure Michael works for Microsoft, but there’s no bio on his site, so I don’t want to assume.)

Update: In the comments, Thomas Hawk confirms that Michael works for Microsoft in the Media Center group. (Thanks, Thomas!) Thomas also suggests that selling an OEM copy of Windows with a small piece of hardware might somehow be against the “official” policy but that Microsoft winks and looks the other way.

That’s not correct. The “official” policy is exactly as I stated it: You can legally purchase an OEM copy of Windows XP with qualifying hardware. This is not a wink-wink, nudge-nudge deal. This is an explicit, documented part of the license terms. Read it for yourself (link to PDF copy of OEM license):

If the individual software license is a desktop operating system (including Windows XP Media Center Edition), we grant you a nonexclusive right to distribute individual software licenses; provided that each one is distributed with either (a) a fully assembled computer system or (b) a nonperipheral computer hardware component. A “fully assembled computer system” means a computer system consisting of at least a central processing unit, a motherboard, a hard drive, a power supply, and a case. A “nonperipheral computer hardware component” means a component that will be an integral part of the fully assembled computer system on which the individual software license will be installed.

Several Microsoft documents make it clear that any component that is an integral part of the PC qualifies, including an internal connector for a hard drive or an external power cord. This online chat with members of Microsoft’s System Builders group, from February 2005, is explicit on the subject:

Q: [P]lease elaborate on what nonperipheral hardware is. The OEM site lists power supplies/cords as examples implying it is legal to sell with an internal P4 power adapter or external power supply cord.
A: If you look at [the System Builder site] it states that a power code [sic] is and examples of non-peripheral hardware. … Non-peripheral is something that is essential to the functioning of the PC – so a power cord would qualify.

There are many other, similar references on Microsoft pages, most of which are available only to registered members of the System Builder program. The products I mentioned above (memory, mouse, power cord) are specifically mentioned as acceptable qualifying hardware.

So go ahead. Buy an OEM copy of Windows XP Media Center Edition. You don’t need a secret handshake, just a valid credit card.

PS: Everything in this post applies to Windows XP only. None of this information applies to Microsoft Office. The only legal way to purchase an OEM copy of Office is with a new PC!

Read more on this topic here.