Computer Tip: What's My File?
One of the things that drives me nuts about Windows is that it makes it difficult for people to distinguish between legitimate files and malware (such as a virus). In its default configuration you can't tell for sure just by looking at a file whether it is a document, or an executable program. If you end up double-clicking on a file with a virus, thinking it's a picture or a letter from Aunt Margaret, your computer is suddenly infected and it might take hours to remove the infection.
The easiest way to prevent this is to make sure that Windows tells you what type of file you are actually looking at. So instead of it showing "Picture at IHOP" you'll see "Picture at IHOP.jpg" telling you that it really is a JPEG-formatted picture, or "Picture at IHOP.exe" letting you know that the file is an executable that will probably do bad things to your computer. Fortunately setting Windows to display file types in the form of file extensions is an easy thing to change.
Under Windows XP, click Start, Control Panel, and choose Folder Options. In Vista, click the Start button, start to type "Folder Options" and it should appear in the list of search results at the top of the Start Menu.
From there, go to the View tab, find the option named "Hide extensions for known file types" and turn it off. Then click OK to save the change.
From that time on, you can tell what type of file you are looking at by it's extension. A few (but not all) types to avoid are: .exe, .com, .bat, .pif, and .vbs. If you receive an unexpected file from someone with one of those extensions, delete the file immediately!
The setting of this option carries over into Outlook and Outlook Express, so it will be much easier to tell what type of file you received in your email as well.
Multimedia Tip: Better Video
Here are a few really quick tips for much better quality video.
1. Use multiple short shots instead of one long one. We've all been bored to death by somebody's vacation or school performance video. Why are they boring? Because there is too much video. A better video would be one that only shows the most important parts of an event, leaving out everything else that isn't absolutely essential. So when shooting, only record the parts that really need to be there, and ignore the rest. But don't forget to leave a second or two before and after to make the video flow more naturally.
2. Use my "one move per shot" rule. In this context, a move would be considered a pan (movement left or right), tilt (movement up or down), or zoom. Few things scream "amateur video" more than constant zooming in or out, or multiple pans back and forth. So with each shot (remember that shorter is better here), only perform one move. One zoom in, one pan left, one tilt up, etc. If you need to make another move to tell the story of what is going on, pause the camera, reposition, and restart the recording.
3. Keep your moves slow. So every pan, tilt, or zoom, should be slow. Give your audience time to take in the scene rather than giving them motion sickness.
4. Change your position. Each time you pause the camera to change your shot, change something about the positioning of your shot, whether it be your physical position, or the zoom position of your lens. This will avoid what are called "jump shots" where two shots next to one another are too similar, creating a jarring transition that is awkward to view.
5. Use a tripod. Nobody can hold a camera perfectly still, not even the professionals. And getting to the point where you can hold it "relatively still" is an art that takes years to perfect. So take the time to get out a tripod. Or invest in motion sickness pills for the people you intend to whom you show your video. And if you don't own a tripod, use my 50 Cent Tripod Substitute tip from a couple weeks ago until you get one.
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