Free DME & DFIR Resources

LEVA has announced that they will be providing their Photographic/Video Comparison Course May 18-22, 2009 in the LEVA DME Lab at the University of Indianapolis. The Photographic/Video Comparison focuses on the science of comparing known objects, vehicles, clothing and humans with CCTV images of questioned objects, vehicles, clothing and humans.

For LEVA's complete training schedule - click here.

By Elinor Mills

Microsoft is working on a patch to fix a hole in a 64-bit Windows 7 graphics display component that could be exploited to crash the system or potentially take control of the computer by running code remotely.

Full story:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20005420-245.html

If someone uses the phrase "DVD Quality Video" in their marketing literature it usually means one of three things; (1) their product is crap, (2) they haven't the slightest clue about DVD-Video standards, or (3) they do understand the standards and are simply trying to mislead you...and their product is crap.

Now maybe I'm being a bit harsh here, but I take offense when companies attempt to mislead the "typical" consumer by using generalizations. The fact of the matter is that there are several standards for DVD-Video, along with other variables that can impact DVD-Video picture quality.

I recently cut the cable TV cord with the assistance of the Tablo 4-Tuner OTA DVR, so I thought I'd share a few thoughts on it.

Over The Air (OTA) HDTV

First I'll point out that I don't watch a lot of TV, maybe a few hours a week; however, my family does, and likes to keep up with several TV shows. We've always been cable TV subscribers, both with Time Warner back on the East coast, and Comcast out here on the West coast. We've used the DVR hardware and services from each since they began offering the option(s).

"VirtualDub is a video capture/processing utility for 32-bit Windows platforms (95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP), licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It lacks the editing power of a general-purpose editor such as Adobe Premiere but is streamlined for fast linear operations over video. It has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters. VirtualDub is mainly geared toward processing AVI files, although it can read (not write) MPEG-1 and also handle sets of BMP images."

Need to download a web video from YouTube, Facebook, etc. Here are two Freeware tools that can help, one of which you likely already have. 

Let's make it a great Friday, my friends. 😎

http://media-geek.com/images/myblog/frontpage/imaging_work_shop.jpg

This is a great opportunity to get this three-day, hands-on workshop at a special price.* Each student will have their own computer workstation and work with Adobe Photoshop CS4.

But I've damn sure known quite a few. Worked with many. Met more than most even, I dare say.

I recently published my autobiography, on a special day with a special significance. It was time to share it with my son, first and foremost, but also to put the pieces together for a few others that truly care.

I am extremely fortunate, despite some sad parts to my long, yet actually very abridged story. Maybe not despite them though, right?

Maybe because pushing through troubles and mistakes, and trying really hard to always do the right thing...even when nobody's around or looking...has made me who I am.

A very proud husband & father. Very comfortable in my skin, because I know what my intentions have always been, and that my best is good enough.

We are all works in progress, my friends.

If something in my story has offended you, even if it's just the way I've told it, I understand.

I'm a very understanding guy. 

Either way, do yourself and everyone around you a favor, and make it a great day my friends!

From the PhotoShopSupport.com blog:

Here's a free video tutorial from lynda.com — Setting Up Shop - Preferences, Color Settings, And Shortcuts — from the series Photoshop CS4 One-on-One: Fundamentals. Deke McClelland examines the essential capabilities of the application, from correcting color to retouching portraits. He also covers navigation, resolution, cropping, selecting, printing, and making web graphics. This course goes beyond basic tips and tricks and provides the in-depth information and real-world context needed by serious students who want to master the software.

View the full post & get the link to the video:
http://www.photoshopsupport.com/photoshop-blog/10/cs5-03/video-tutorial-setting-preferences.html

Techsmith has announced the release of Snagit version 1 for Mac users.  Visit http://www.techsmith.com/snagit for complete details.

Trying to snap a shot of your cherry red Mazda, but can't keep your hands still? You'll find all the tech you need to smooth things out in an iPhone 4 or (MotionPlus-equipped) Nintendo Wiimote. Experimenting with 6DOF inertial measurement sensor packages, scientists at Microsoft Research have developed a software algorithm that literally records your exposure-destroying shake via accelerometer and gyroscope, then magically removes the blur by canceling it out.

Full Story:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/02/microsoft-algorithm-uses-six-axis-motion-sensors-to-fix-blurry-s/

I've been trying to find time to post a note about last week's LEVA conference since I got back, but have just been overwhelmed with the ever expanding to-do list.  It was really great seeing a lot of long time friends and colleagues and getting a chance to learn and network with them again.  The entire event seemed to go flawlessly, as always, in large part due to the tireless efforts of the LEVA volunteers (e.g. board & officers). 

Abobe's Photoshop Express(BETA) was made available in late March, but I just haven't had the time to fiddle with it. I was poking around the Adobe site earlier today (avoiding my to-do list like the plague) and finally decided to give it a whirl. I intended to spend a few minutes checking it out. I ended up spending a few hours playing with it and completely blowing off my to-do list for the afternoon. I hate it when that happens.

Photoshop Express is another Rich Internet Application (RIA) that, to me, shouts Software as a Service (SaaS) is unquestionably the future of software delivery. Sure many RIA's today have limited capability (or more bugs than your average road kill on a warm summer day), but the fact of the matter is SaaS is in its infancy.