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Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Shop Pink Ribbon products from Buy.com!For the entire month of October, Buy.com has set up a special Breast Cancer Awareness Store. If you buy any of the 2 dozen or so products, a portion of the sale will go to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I’ve highlighted a few items here from companies that are making the highest contributions. Additionally, Skylarking, Skylark Webworks and Skylark NetWorks will be donating 10% of its proceeds for October to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at the end of the month. Click the links or the photos, and you’ll be taken to Buy.com’s Breast Cancer Awareness Store. The links also let them know you came from Skylarking.

Buy for the Cause! Shop for Pink Ribbon products from Buy.com’s Breast Cancer Awareness store! Expires 10/31/09

Verbatim 320GB USB Portable Hard Drive - Pink
Verbatim 320GB USB Portable Hard Drive – Pink
: $8 of each sale is going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. This small lightwight portable hard drive holds more than some computers do, and its just a little bit bigger than your cellphone. Compatible with Mac OS 9.x, Mac OS x10.1 or higher, Windows 200, Windows XP, Windows Vista. With Nero Backitup 2 Essentials for Windows. It’s yours for only $81.24, and shipping is free.
New Era Anaheim Ducks Hockey Fights Cancer Women's Adjustable Hat
New Era Anaheim Ducks Hockey Fights Cancer Women’s Adjustable Hat
: 10% of the hat proceeds go towards Hockey Fights Cancer (HFC) and the National Hockey League (NHL) is matching 10%. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hockey Fights Cancer, and this hat is officially licensed by the NHL. The hat is yours for only $15.59 including shipping.

eBags

All year round eBags contributes 10% of the retail sales price of qualifying products to the Denver affiliate of Susan G. Komen For the Cure.


Knomo Siena 15.4


Knomo Siena 15.4


Baekgaard Laptop Tote


Baekgaard Laptop Tote


Baekgaard Mini Notebook Checkbook Cover


Baekgaard Mini Notebook Checkbook Cover


Nike Reversible Gymsack SMU


Nike Reversible Gymsack SMU


Roxy Girl pepper


Roxy Girl pepper


American Tourister iLite XL 21 Rolling Expandable Upright


American Tourister iLite XL 21 Rolling Expandable Upright


Diane Von Furstenberg Studio Jacquard 25 Wheeled Suitcase


Diane Von Furstenberg Studio Jacquard 25 Wheeled Suitcase


Royce Leather Leather Garment Cover


Royce Leather Leather Garment Cover

Mobile Edge

Mobile Edge is a proud corporate partner with Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Mobile Edge donates 10% of the retail sales price of each Komen Laptop bag sold back to the Foundation.


Mobile Edge Komen Paris Computer Backpack - Backpack - MicroFiber - Black


Mobile Edge Komen Paris Computer Backpack – Backpack – MicroFiber – Black


Mobile Edge Komen Pink Faux-Suede Tote


Mobile Edge Komen Pink Faux-Suede Tote


Komen ECO Tote for notebooks up to 16 to 17 screens


Komen ECO Tote for notebooks up to 16 to 17 screens


Mobile Edge Komen Milano fits laptops with screens up to 15.4 (Pink Faux-Croc) - MEMCXS


Mobile Edge Komen Milano fits laptops with screens up to 15.4 (Pink Faux-Croc)
- MEMCXS


Komen Geneva Microfiber Tote for up to 15.4 (black/pink leather trim)


Komen Geneva Microfiber Tote for up to 15.4 (black/pink leather trim)


Mobile Edge Komen Pink Suede Tote Case


Mobile Edge Komen Pink Suede Tote Case

As if that wasn’t enough, here are three more items for you to consider.

A Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors
A Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors
: Fifty cents of each book sale will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This book contains the stories of 50 breast cancer survivors. Covering tales of diagnosis to chemotherapy, facing hair loss and possibly the loss of a breast. Support the cause with this book for only $9.59. Stories are medicine for the soul.
Susan G. Komen 4GB Portable USB Flash Drives (2 x 4GB)
Susan G. Komen 4GB Portable USB Flash Drives (2 x 4GB)
: Portions of the proceeds of the sale of these flash drives will go to the Susan K. Koman for the Cure Foundation. These drives from PNY are USB 2.0 compatible for your PC or Mac. The great thing is the caps are integrated, so you don’t have to worry about losing them. Yours for only $27.49 with free shipping, or pay and extra $5.49 and get 2nd Day Express Shipping. They could be in your pocket next week.
Nathan Quickdraw Plus - Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Nathan Quickdraw Plus – Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
: 5% of proceeds go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This 22 oz bottle is great for short runs or hikes, working out, or for running errands. It also has Scotchlite reflective trim for visibility. It has an adjustable handstrap, and a zippered pocket. The side of the pocket is adorned with the symbolic pink ribbon for the cause. Yours for only $22.11 including shipping.

There are more items to choose from, so Buy for the Cause! Shop for Pink Ribbon products from Buy.com’s Breast Cancer Awareness store! Expires 10/31/09

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Play your PC’s Music, Photos, and Video on your TV

I don’t know about you, but I am still waiting for the TV and the PC to come together without having to go out and buy a new television. In earlier articles I have discussed ways to connect your PC to your TV, and though wireless is popular, I prefer wire whenever possible.

WD TV HD Media Player

WD TV HD Media Player

Photos and Videos naturally lend themselves to television, but how, oh  how, to get them from the computer to the TV without having to burn a new DVD? And, as earlier, without having to buy a new TV with some of this capability already built-in.

Enter the “Western Digital TV Hi-Definition Media Player” or the “WD TV HD MediaPlayer” for short, and Buy.com is selling Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player – Refurbished units this weekend for only $85 with free shipping! Regularly this media players goes for $125 new.

HDMI Connector

HDMI Connector

Composite A/V

Composite A/V

This little box connects to your TV via HDMI (left) or Composite A/V (right). If you have an HDTV you may already have a HDMI connector. HDMI allows you to connect audio and video with one cable. If you don’t have HDMI, then you can always use the Composite A/V connections on your TV. Most TVs sold in the last ten years have this connector. You’ve probably seen a composite audio-video cable before with its familiar yellow plug for video, and the red and white plugs for audio sound.

Next you can take an external USB drive with any digital music files, digital photo files, or digital video files on it, and connect it to one of the two USB ports on the WD TV HD Media Player. If you’ve got more than one USB drive, then go ahead and connect one to each of the USB ports. If you have more than two, then you can always switch drives at will to access the content on each of the drive. Western Digital says the media player works best with their own ‘My Book’ and ‘My Passport’ external USB drives, but will work most any USB storage device for that matter.

screen-videoOnce you turn on the media player (and your TV, too) then you will be presented with some beautiful navigation screens to access the media files on your drives. Thumbnail images are shown of your files as shown in the picture at right.

Western Digital has also included some software to convert your photos and videos to a format that works best with the media player. Don’t worry about altering your files. Just connect your external USB drive, and have the software create optimized copies of your files on the external drive while leaving your originals untouched.

And its easy ot navigate through your files with the WD TV HD’s included remote control. And who doesn’t need more remotes in their TV room? … 8-)

The box supports full high definition 1080p image presentations through the HDMI connector. When connected to your TV with the composite A/V cable you’ll get standard, non hi-def video playback. Plus, you can play non-HD digital content, too. (Digital and hi-def aren’t synonyms.)

As you can see the box is quite small, and can easily be transported from room to room or place to place, so you can take your media anywhere you go.

You can read more about the WD TV HD media player on Western Digital’s web site. Have I sold you on this device? then go to Buy.com and get your Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player – Refurbished now! I’ll be there getting mine, too. Check back with me if you’re interested in my opinion.

And if you don’t have an external USB drive for your files already, then check out these USB drive deals from Buy.com, too: Western Digital 320GB My Passport Essential USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive – Cool Silver ($80), or the Western Digital 250GB My Passport Essential USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive Refurbished ($60).

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Video: Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party

A friend of mine shared this time lapse video link with me over the weekend. The video was posted on Vimeo, a video sharing web site.

The video shows a band of stars which make up one of the “arms” of the Milky Way galaxy — our galaxy. If you live in an urban or suburban area then it’s not likely you’ve seen it at night. Light pollution from street lamps, buildings, and homes wash much of the star light overhead, but if you are able to get far enough away from the cities (or find yourself in a massive night-time blackout) then you could see an arm of the Milky Way. I once saw it myself while camping at camp Epworth upstate in High Falls, New York in the Catskills, two hours outside of New York City about 30 years ago. Now there are two many lights even in that area for this sight to be seen. These photos were taken at Fort Davis, Texas which is about 8 hours from Dallas and 6 hours from San Antonio.

The video is comprised of a series of 810 photos taken with a modified Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP Digital SLR Camera.

One photo was taken every 40 seconds over a 9 hour period. The shutter remained open for 20 seconds during each shot. The photographer, William Castleman, used a special “anti-alias (AA) filter” which allowed more red light to enter the camera. Specifically the type of red light emitted by stars and nebulas. He used a Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens which allows a wide field of view — 180 degrees in fact. He mounted the camera on a tripod and attached an external battery. Exposures were 20 seconds at f/2.8 ISO 1600.

Other equipment used by the photographer included:

He then processed the photos using Adobe Photoshop and created the video using Apple’s Quicktime Pro, and then editted the video using Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9.

Canon EOS 5D

Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Canon Fisheye EF 15mm f/2.8 Autofocus Lens

Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens

Canon TC80N3 Timer Remote Control

Canon TC80N3 Timer Remote Control

photoshop-elements

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 (Windows)
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 (Mac)

quicktime-pro

Apple Quicktime Pro

Sony-Vegas-Movie-Studio-9

Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack




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