Photo Scanning - Anytime, Anywhere!

You are visiting with family or friends. Someone drags out the old pictures. Soon the stories start flooding out of those memories captured forever in the images etched upon chemically sensitized paper.

Wished getting copies of those photos for yourself was simple and easy?

Now, a revolutionary new mobile photo scanning device can make that dream a reality. The Flip-Pal mobile scanner offers a patented flip-and-scan technology to scan photos. It even can scan safely while they are still in the album or frame. It is compact, lightweight, durable and fits easily in the side pocket of most purses.

Look Mom! My scanner has no cords and doesn't need a computer to scan!  

Besides being easy to tuck away and take with you, there is no need to start looking for a place to plug it in when you are ready to start because the Flip-Pal mobile scanner is battery powered. In addition to cutting ties to the power cord, this new scanning marvel stores its scanned images directly onto a memory card just like the ones used in a digital camera. So, with all the scanning technology on-board there is no need for it to be tethered to a computer. The Flip-Pal is truly a mobile scanner.


This scanner may look small, but it offers giant possibilities to scan nearly any size object!  
The designers of the Flip-Pal mobile scanner made it the most versatile scanning unit on the market today by integrating an ability to scan from the smallest to largest of originals, such as photos, drawings, quilts, books, albums, coins and even jewelry. The stitching software that comes with each unit allows scans of larger items to be quickly and effortlessly pieced together into a single digital image on either a Windows or Mac computer, making it possible to scan nearly any size object.

Attention to details!  

So what compromises did developers make to accomplish this feat of technological genius? None! The Flip-Pal mobile scanner produces a quality digital image of high resolution (operator can choose between scanning at 600 dpi or 300 dpi) while retaining color true to the original.


Anytime! Anywhere!
Do you have precious photos, documents and other memories you want to preserve? Have fun and enhance your creativity, then share your memories with family and friends with this scanner. And save time in the process. Take advantage of the patented flip-and-scan technology to scan photos safely with a simple press of a button.

Monday's Featured Photo Blog

Monday's Featured Photo Blog: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

By: Pablo Hernandez

Palos Verdes

Friday's Featured Video: Why Digital Preservation is Important for Everyone

To learn more, go to: digitalpreservation.gov

When Gold and Time Intersect

Image by: Salvatore Vuono

(This is the third in a series of 3 articles about CD & DVD storage media)

“As every thread of gold is valuable, so is every moment of time.” John Mason

The highest quality disc should be used when storing archived digital information such as genealogical research, scanned photos/images or treasured documents.

To choose the highest quality means looking at its underside, or writable portion of the disc. If a disc is silver or gold on its underside, it will be a higher quality. This is supported by standards set by the National Archives.

Unlike aluminum CDs or DVDs with a bright tin-like appearance on its underside, silver or gold discs are actually manufactured using real silver or gold as a base.

By utilizing these precious metals on the writable portion, it ensures a longer life span over that of typical aluminum produced CDs or DVDs because such metals will not break down or oxidize any where near the rate of aluminum.

Another bonus is these preservation discs are manufactured with a triple layer of protective lacquer. This further helps to protect the stored information, offering 1.5 times the standard protection.

So how long is a preservation CD or DVD projected to last? Instead of the aluminum expectancy of 2 to 5 years, these type of discs, especially those comprised of gold, have a life span of 100 to 150 years.

Bottom line...CD & DVD storage media can be one of the best ways to store or archive digital information. It is compact, has no moving parts, and can last a century or more. (Source:Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Optical Storage Media: Storing Temporary Records on CDs and DVDs, National Archives)

Proper CD Handling and Storage

Image by: zirconicusso

(This is the second in a series of 3 articles about CD & DVD storage media)

Even though a standard CD has a short shelf life, there are some basic handling and storage tips that can help to increase the longevity of a disc.

First, always handle a CD by the outer edges, avoiding contact with the writable side at all times. This simple measure will help to keep the information side free of finger prints allowing for a clean read from an optical laser, and prevents scratches from occurring.

Next, when labeling a CD, only write on the label side of the disc using markers that are solvent free. Markers that contain solvents speed up the oxidation process of the aluminum layer, increasing the chances of data loss.

Also, when labelling a CD, avoid using pens with hard points, as this will scratch the surface of the disc and could potentially damage the information that is stored on it.

The next consideration is where to store the written disc. When storing a CD, always store it upright in a jewel case. This will help to prevent the disc from warping, there by allowing for the information to be read accurately from a disc drive’s optical laser.

The disc storage location also becomes an important factor in increasing the CDs longevity. Make sure that the storage location is somewhere that is cool, dry, and away from direct sunlight. By following this tip, the oxidation process can be slowed down even more, helping to keep the information that is stored safe and intact for a longer period of time.

These simple, but important tips will greatly enhance the shelf life of your writable CDs, further protecting the information that is stored on them.

As this series continues, we will look at how to tell the difference in the quality of CDs. (Source: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Optical Storage Media: Storing Temporary Records on CDs and DVDs, National Archives)

To CD, Or Not To CD? That Is The Question

Image by: Salvatore Vuono

(This is the first in a series of 3 articles about CD & DVD storage media)

 

Attention to digital information storage is a must. And, for many, Compact Discs (CDs) or Digital Video Discs (DVDs), become the choice for storage media.

 

This is especially true, once your family photos and documents have been scanned for digital preservation.

 

Despite the ability to store these items online, or ‘in the cloud’, a secure disc tucked away with all those treasured moments ends any possible debate of ownership, ‘store online at your own risk’ clauses, and issues about access in what is now being referred to as the digital afterlife .

 

CDs and DVDs quickly gained popularity for a number reasons. First, they store large amounts of data in a compact format. Second, this media has no moving parts or mechanical components (that part is limited to the reading of their data) making them extremely easy to transport. Finally, manufacturers rapidly adopted to their standard sizing and developed the ability to read data CDs, DVDs, and even Blu-Ray discs using the same equipment.

 

But what about longevity of this media? How long can it be expected to last?

 

Originally cited to last from 10 to 25 years, the true shelf life life of a standard CD can be conservatively estimated to be 2 to 5 years for a recorded disc. These standard CDs can typically now be purchased by the spindle for pennies on the dollar. They are constructed using only a thin aluminum layer. This aluminum layer is covered by a thin coating of lacquer serving to protect from scratches and slowing the aluminum’s oxidation process. When aluminum oxidizes it breaks down the layer where the information is stored. This in turn increases the CD’s or DVD’s likelihood of corruption and makes the data susceptible to lost.

 

So, can anything be done to overcome this and extend the life of a CD or DVD? Absolutely! And that will be covered as this series continues. (Source: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Optical Storage Media: Storing Temporary Records on CDs and DVDs, National Archives)

Monday's Featured Photo Blog

Monday's Photo Blog: Captured Rainbows
By: Patti Schulze

Full Moon

Friday's Video: 1001 Faces For Charity

The point of this project is to get everyone around us to be more aware of those who are homeless or are in need in our community.

For more information: www.facebook.com/1001Help

One Photo Project

Ever wondered how to make that one magic photo shot really count? Perhaps the answer is a disposable camera that only lets you take a single photograph before being passed along to others.

This is the focus of the One Photo Project.

The projects idea was to take five disposable cameras and send them to various parts of the United States. Upon receiving the camera, the appointed photographer takes only one photo of their choosing. The more creative and outlandish, the better. Once the photo is taken, the camera is given to the next person of the photographer’s choosing. The only stipulation...it can't be a total stranger.

Photographers are asked to only keep their camera for less than three days. The end result is that within 72 days (24 photographers, each with custody of the camera for up to 3 days) the camera is enroute back to project base.

Once the final photo is taken, the last photographer ships the camera back to the project’s home base where the photos are developed, digitally scanned and posted to the project’s website. There, anyone can view each camera’s journey.

Organizers ask each photographer be “serious, visionary, adventurous, idealistic, romantic and sentimental” in order to keep the project going and fresh. With such a wide list of qualifications, this project can be enjoyed by anyone that would like be a one shot photographer.

The project’s main goal is to show “interconnectedness of people around the world” and to provide a fun way of showing the many different levels of diversity that exist. It is only when the entire collection is uploaded that we see how a diverse community of individuals, who, taking their 'best shot', can weave together a fabric of collective threads together into a single unique tapestry.

So, if someone hands you a disposable camera and tells you that you only have one shot, be certain to make it count! (Source: onephotoproject.com)

Photo Fun With Your Digital Pictures

How can you put your face up on a billboard, without having to pay a single cent?

How about having your portrait hanging up on a museum wall or art gallery, even if you aren’t famous?

Through the wonders of technology and facial recognition, Photofunia.com will put your image into virtual settings where you or someone you know is the star.

Started in August, 2007, Photofunia has been allowing people to take their photos and place them into these fun scenes. The only requirement is they are in a digital format. Got paper photos? No, problem. Scan them and now you can use the converted digital image to bring back memories from the past and make them extra special!

To put someone into one of the many scenes that Photofunia offers, simply choose a special effect setting. Next, by clicking on the “upload” button, the photo is quickly uploaded to Photofunia.

With a slight edit to the photo, to ensure the image will fit into the setting, and a click of the “Go!” button, the new fantasy photo is created, where the uploaded photo is applied to the virtual landscape seamlessly.

Once created, the option to save, share, or send as a postcard is offered.

Photofunia is free, fun, and helps to give your digital photos a new life. (Source: Photofunia.com)

One Women's Facebook Page Gives a Devistated Town Hope

April 27, 2011 is a date that will long be remembered as a day where hopes and dreams were wiped out by a record number of tornado strikes in Alabama and Georgia.

But, even in the darkness of this tragedy, a small glimmer of hope developed in Alabama.

After the storm passed over Patty Bullion’s home, she saw photos and documents blowing around on her front lawn. Bullion got on Facebook and saw that a neighbor that lived down the street had posted, “...that it was raining pictures -- falling out of the sky."

Immediately, Bullion got the idea to set up a Facebook page where any found photos, documents, or any personal items could be posted on her newly created page and hopefully reunited with their owner.

When Bullion’s page went up, the response became overwhelming. Almost immediately, her page got hits from people that were able to identifying some of the lost items that Bullion had collected from her yard.

Within two days of being posted, Bullion’s page received over 50,000 hits, and over 500 pictures or documents that have been found by people had been uploaded to her page. Many items posted have been identified and connected with their owner, but many more remain unclaimed.

There were even items collected in her neighborhood that appeared to come from a town that was over 100 miles away.

Bullion said that many of the items she has collected and posted are deeply personal. One such item is a pregnant woman’s ultrasound. "If this was the only baby picture they had, I wanted to make sure that they were returned," she said.

Even with the reality that Bullion’s surrounding neighborhood and community has been crushed by Mother Nature, she remains determined to push forward until ever photo and item is returned to their rightful owner.

Bullion’s Facebook page may be a small gesture in the grand scope of such a tragedy. But, with over 94,000 likes, her page may be the glimmer of hope her town needs while trying to rebuild. (Source: Woman Makes Tornado Victims' Lost-and-Found, by Jacob Beckman, abcnews.go.com)

Monday's Featured Photo Blog

Monday's Featured Photo Blog: This Is a PhotoBlog

By: Mathieu Young

Perspective

Friday's Video: The Ball of Light Movie

See more at www.balloflight.com.au or www.denissmith.com.au

How Digital Photography Saved a Life

Ball of Light - That Sinking Feeling

His life seemed to be spiraling out of control. Then, around 18 months ago, Denis Smith purchased his first camera.

At the brink of self destruction, due to alcoholism, and almost losing his marriage, Smith decided that maybe photography would help him to focus his inner turmoil in a less than devastating way.

Now, almost two years after quitting his high stress job and making a permanent move to Australia with his wife, Smith has become a true photographer and artist. A choice, Smith says, that has helped to save him from total destruction.

A key driving force in Smith's daily life has become using his camera to express the beauty of Australia. Relying only on his inner vision, the self taught photographer, snaps landscape photos during his daily walks through the Australian countryside.

It wasn't until he looked online and saw that everyone else was taking the same photos, that Smith decided to try something different. 

Upon searching online for other photographic inspiration, Smith stumbled upon an internet community of "Light Painters", a photo process that allows the artist to paint with light while the camera's shutter remains open with a constant exposure. This creates a very surreal setting where the light takes on a life of its own. 

This new concept immediately grabbed his attention. 

Smith's first few attempts at Light Painting were less than stellar. 

It wasn't until Smith attempted to move his body in a circular patter while spinning a lighted ball around him, that his current work began to develop. The result was the birth of the first "Ball of Light".

Smith immediately saw the potential in the captured image and began to refine his technique. The ending result was a marrying of real landscapes with a mystical looking ball of light that created an almost multidimensional feel. Smith explains that the balls of light represent a portal into another space and time.

Smith's Ball of Light photos have been shown in galleries around the world. 

The magical feel and quality of each image takes the viewer into a world where the balls are almost life like. Smith further helps to perpetuate the life like quality of each ball of light, by explaining that the balls appear all on their own in a playful hide and seek nature. Smith further explains that he just happens to capture the images of the light spheres by accident, while taking his landscape photos.

Smith's photos and techniques have helped to capture the imagination of all that view his creations. Smith's goal is to spread a message and feeling of hope. A hope that helps us to believe in magic and greater things. A hope that has helped to save Smith's life. A hope that he believes will some day help to save a life, very much like his own.

(Source: denissmith.com.au and Ball of Light: The Movie)

Cool Photo Collage Site....

So, your paper photos are scanned and all of your digital images cataloged. Congratulations!

Now, looking for something that's fun and novel to do with that treasure trove of digital photos?

Try a photo collage at PicArtia.com!

We have talked about photo collages before. They are a sport all to their own. With PicArtia.com, all of the photos floating around on your computer hard drive or photo CDs can now be shown as a wonderful work of collage art. PicArtia allows users the opportunity to create a one of a kind collage in just two steps.

First, decide what photo you would like to use for your "Master Photo". This "Master Photo" will become the ultimate template or outline used to fill in with the rest of your pictures to be used in the collage.

Want your collage in the outline of a pyramid? Easy! Simply upload a "Master Photo" of that favorite pyramid of yours and it becomes the outline for rest of your collage.

Then comes step two. Select the folder of pictures that say, has all of the photos from your Egypt vacation to upload. PicArtia does the rest.

Within minutes, you will have your collage masterpiece of your Egypt vacation photos in the collage design of that favorite pyramid. From there, you can print or share your new work of art, while at the same time, showing off your digital photo album. It's fast, fun, and easy. (Source: PicArtia.com)

The Circle of Light Project

A Photograph From The Circle of Light Project

Imagine having lost your sight. Then, through the wonders of medical science, you are able to receive a cornea transplant and have it restored. Now, if you were asked to photograph the new world that you saw, what would focus on? What kind of photos would you take?

This was the recent focus of the photography showcase entitled The Circle of Light Project. Organized by the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank, The Circle of Light Photo Project allowed recent cornea transplant recipients to show the world how precious the gift of sight really is. Each recipient having had their eyesight restored within the past few months to several years ago were asked to photograph what they saw with their new eyes.

The response was overwhelming, and the coordinators of the project never thought they would receive the level of beautiful images that they did. What started out as a marketing idea to promote the importance of being an organ donor, turned into a wonderful gallery showcase of amazing photographs.

Each image focused on sights we take for granted daily. But, within the eye's of these recipients, and through the lens of their cameras, they became moments of wonder and beauty.

Due to the response received, project coordinators decided to create a touring show that would showcase the best 25 images submitted. The photo tour has been making its way through the Colorado and Wyoming area since November 2010. It continues to receive high praise at each stop.

For anyone that is not able to make it to the exhibit, all of the photos and bios of the photographers have been made available on the project's Facebook page. The eye bank hopes that everyone viewing the photos will consider becoming an organ donor. It is easy to do and simply requires a visit to your local DMV.(Source: The Circle of Light Project)

Monday's Featured Photo Blog

Monday's Featured Photo Blog: Earth From Above
By: Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Altitude

Monday's Featured Photo Blog

Monday's Featured Photo Blog: Shutter Sisters

(By: Kristen Zecchinelli)

cheers!