Tired of looking down? Everyscape.com views from the ground up.

I knew that the digital world was expanding when my dad (who has a hard time sending an email to a friend) downloaded GoogleEarth to his computer.  I was proud to see him flying around the world on his laptop, but after a few hours exploring GoogleEarth, I felt that the birds eye view of Times Square was not nearly as exciting as actually seeing it from the streets.

Enter Everyscape.com.  Everyscape.com is a website that recreates walking through popular cities and countries all at the click of a mouse. Everyscape.com offers Aspen, Miami, Boston and New York.  And it doesn't just show you the popular locations, you can see everything as if you were riding in a taxi (minus the cab fare.)

I started my trip at St. Patrick's Cathedral on 50th St and 5th Ave, strolled by Rockefeller Center, then jumped over to Times Square, all within five minutes.

Maybe seeing the sites online doesn't substitute for actually visiting, but now I at least know a few nice locations to check out. Maybe I can even find a spot to get a bite to eat when I visit New York.

Check out the New York Times article on how Everyspace might even help businesses advertise as well.

Amazon's Kindle Has No Paper to Burn

When I jumped online today, I found an interesting new device developed by Amazon. It's called the Kindle, which ironically uses no kindling to start this hot new item.  It is most likely the revolutionary item for the digital age.

The Kindle is a digital book that requires no memory cards, no cables, and no computer. It uses the same technology as a cell phone, without requiring you to sign up to a contract. Using Amazon's literary power, and the cellular technology, Kindle is basically a lightweight portable library, with over 88,000 titles, not including nationally accredited blogs, magazines and newspapers.

You can use the Kindle and buy full novels through Amazon's Kindle store, which are instantly downloaded to your Kindle.  And in case you can't light up your Kindle because it fell in the drink, Amazon automatically backs up all your purchases. That way you never have to worry about losing your purchases, something that iTunes could take a lesson in.

But the greatest revelation with the Kindle is getting rid of the backlight.  With the Kindle, you need to read with natural lighting. It's high-resolution display delivers a crisp image, but it lacks color.  This may be a blessing since the fact that staring at a brightly colored screen can cause headaches.  

But even though it seems like the Kindle will start the paperless revolution, it still uses up a lot of paper... from your wallet. The Kindle cost about $400 street.  The cost is the Kindle's is a little too much.  For the same amount of the Kindle, you could by enough paper to heat your house for a month.

It will be interesting to see if the Kindle will burn brightly, or be smothered by the wad of cash shelled out to purchase the digital book.

Photo: Want better pics?

Those who know me know that I am an aspiring photographer.  I love capturing great images and sharing them with others.  But I know many people who feel that I am a good photographer because I've invested money into my equipment. While I may agree that having a digital SLR gives me an advantage, that does not mean that expensive equipment makes you a good photographer. Equipment is great, but for the most part you only need a decent point and shoot digital camera that cost around $200 to $300.

Generally, when I talk to people who want better pictures out of their camera, I refrain from telling them what to buy unless they ask.  I basically have a few guidelines when it comes to photography. If you keep these guidelines in mind while you are shooting, you will see better results instantly.

• Know your equipment:  Different cameras work better in different situations. Don't expect a point and shoot digital to take Sports Illustrated quality sports pictures. I've seen cameras that take great pictures outside, but are horrible indoors with a flash. You don't need to have the best, you need to know how to get the best out of what you have.
• Candid!!: Sure, I love taking pictures of me and my friends smiling at the camera, but taking pictures of your friends and family when they are not staring into the lens can really tell you what was going on when you took the picture.
• Get up close and personal: When you are taking pictures, try getting as close to your subject as possible. One of my biggest pet peeve is when people take a picture and try to get everything into the frame. What they don't realize is when they try to get everything into one picture, you lose a defined subject. Fill that frame with only one or two subjects, you don't want to waste that room.
• Try new angles: Do you want to know what pictures are extremely boring? Straight, eye level shots with your subject staring at the camera.  Try aiming up at the subject, or maybe standing on a table and aiming down.  I once was asked to take a boring group picture, but I decided to have them lay down on the floor with their heads in the center, It was interesting and we had fun organizing the shot.

And finally: Just keep shooting.  If your not sure how that picture might turn out, take it anyhow.  It might turn out, and it might not. More importantly, if it doesn't work the way you wanted it to, critique it.  Think about why it didn't work, then try it again.

The secret to becoming a good photographer is actually spending time behind the lens.  The more shots you take, the better you'll become. Just remember to enjoy it.

First Blog, My mission statement.

For my first blog, I am trying to decide whether or not i should do a blog on photography, or digital media, or technology in general.  So I decided to do many different topics instead of just focusing on one.  This gives me more options to share with my audiences. 

If you have any questions or need any help during this digital age, feel free to contact me at mikusmatt36@gmail.com

hope you enjoy!

Matt