Sharon Koss's Blog
Posted by Sharon Koss
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of passing off written information that someone else wrote as your own work. Plagiarism is stealing!
A New Tool in Town
Plagiarist get ready to stop stealing information and passing it off as your own work! Searchinform Technologies has created and released their new software program called "Plagiatinform 1.0. This program can detect an entirely copied document, or several lines and passages.
Two Main Areas
There are two main areas that "Plagiatinform 1.0." will be used; higher education and the publishing industries. Colleges require many papers to be written, essays, reports, term papers and more. Some people have a more difficult time keeping up with the demands of the college life, hope and family issues, so some of these people may be enticed to plagiarize. Businesses may find plagiarized work in areas such as analysis, commercial research and marketing.
Compares Text
The program compares words and passages to a database, the same way a person would do, but is much faster. The program works with a large amount of information. The only limit to the amount of information that can be compared is the size of the computer network, memory and storage.
Plagiatinform's Advantage
Plagiatinform 1.0. has a significant advantage over the old fashion way, by hand.
Testing
Currently, the program is being tested at a publishing house. Publishing houses use the software to check their own information, and the published information of its competitors.
The Cost
The cost of Plagiatinform 1.0. has not been set at this point, but soon will be.
Plagiarists beware! Be sure to cite any information that has been copies!
Posted by Sharon Koss
Paint.NET 3.07 is a free, open source image editing and photo manipulation program by Adobe. It works similar to Photoshop.
Requirements
Photoshop is a huge program 136 MB, Paint.NET is only 1.36 MB. That's quite a difference in storage space if space is an issue on your computer. Paint runs on Windows XP/2003, Server/Vista, Microsoft.NET Framework 2.0. You need Microsoft.NET installed on your computer to use Paint.NET, but that is not a problem because the program will notify you where and send you to a Microsoft web page to download. It is also free.
User Friendly and Professional
It is professional, light weight, it loads quickly and does not eat up as many computer resources as Photoshop. Paint.NET works and looks like Photoshop and is easier for neophytes to learn and use because it is very user friendly. More experienced computer users can open this program and start using it after a few minutes of study.
Popular Tools
- Clone Stamp
- Collages
- Color adjusting
- Cropping
- Emboss
- Image rotation
- Lasso Select
- Layers
- Magic Wand
- Mosaic
- Oil Painting
- Red Eye
- Resizing images
Image Formats
Paint uses the most popular image formats: .gif .jpeg .png .tiff.
Free Tutorials
There are many free tutorials on the same web site where you can download your free copy of Paint.NET. Click here for your copy.
Posted by Sharon Koss
What Does Royalty-Free Mean?
A royalty-free item could be many different things, clip-art, photos, music, movies and so on. Royalty-free does not mean the item is free.
- It means that the purchaser may use the item multiple times without having to pay a royalty fee each time the item is used; according to the End User License Agreement
- Royalty-free items save the buyer a lot of money if they plan to use the items often
- Royalty-free items are usually priced according to the file size
- A good example would be a graphic used in the company logo
End User License Agreement
The license agreement may have specifications about:
- Where, when or how the items can be used
- Possibly only for specific projects
- Every license agreement may be different, depending on the item
- The artist or the company who owns it
The artist still owns the copyright, as long as the End User License Agreement is followed by the purchaser. The purchaser should read the End User License Agreement carefully and be sure they understand its allowable uses. Most licenses allow the buyer to use the items as they are, no changes can be made to the items, nor can the purchaser resell the items to someone else.
Watermarks
Some items have embedded watermarks that cannot be removed. The watermarks are included to protect the artist and the purchasers.
Royalty-Free become Stock Items
Many companies who need graphics and music of some type will purchase royalty-free items. These items become stock images, photos, music and so on. Stock items are used freely by anyone employed by that business. They are commonly stored on the network or CD's.
Find Items on the Web
You can find free royalty-free items by searching for them on the web. Free graphics also have an End User License Agreement or Terms of Use Agreement. Be sure you know which type you have before you use them.
Simply said
Royalty-free means all fees are paid at the time of the purchase, instead of every time the item is used, thus, for budgeting purposes, the item is much cheaper.
Posted by Sharon Koss
Congratulations on starting your own business! Now that you are self employed, you will need to keep some kind of records. Your budget may not include a lot of money for a computer and software to track your income, sales and other expenses, especially if you are not very computer savvy.
The Answer is Google Docs and Spreadsheets!
There is No Cost, Downloading or Installation
There currently is no cost for these services. No downloading or installing of software, therefore, the cost savings can be huge. Most basic newer computers will work with Google's software.
What are Google Docs and Spreadsheets?
Google Docs and Spreadsheets are a free online web-based virtual office. This may sound too good to be true, (and it does), it is true! Google has a word processor, a spreadsheet program, calendar, gmail (email), instant messaging, a photo editor, group forums to ask questions and find help, and more.
The Address
Google's address is http://www.google.com. You can access it from any internet connection, that is, in the world! There you will find your web-based virtual office with all of their free software. Any type of document or spreadsheet you create online, can be saved either online (using their storage), or on your hard drive.
The Process
- Create an account by entering your email address and a password.
- From the main Google page, click on "More", then click on "Even More", now scroll down a few rows, and on the right side of the screen, click on "Communicate, show & share," Docs & Spreadsheets.
- Follow the prompts.
Write Letters, Memos and Create Sales Materials
You can write letters and memos, create sales flyers and other sales materials. These web-based programs or virtual offices have much of the functionality that Microsoft or OpenOffice software programs have, and the process is similar.
Create Financial ReportsYou can create financial reports like income statements, balance sheets, budgets, cost analysis, inventory and keep a database. You can even create charts and graphs.
The Web-Based Virtual Office Concept
The concept of a web-based virtual office has been around for several years. Many books have been written about setting up and running a virtual office. In the near future, web-based software will be the main software used by small businesses.
Instead of purchasing your own copies of a word processors, spreadsheet program and any of the horizontal type of software, (software that any business can use), the user will purchase a web-based virtual office for many of their computer needs.
Related Information:
Posted by Sharon Koss
Photos are used almost everywhere today, and in many different types of crafts. Graphics can be printed on photo papers, transparencies, fabric,
Try creating a stepping stone from cement then glue a photo to it, then add words and other elements to your stone. Protect the photo with a piece of transparent plastic film made by Kittrich Corporation. The film can be found at craft stores. Cut the film the same size as the photo, spray one side with a non-yellowing spray glue, then attach the transparent film to the photo. When the glue and paint are completely dry, spray all sides of the stone with a clear protective spray. Three to four coats will work well.
Printed fabric can be used to create blankets and pillows, shirts and skirts, and almost any clothing. Wouldn't your family stand out if you created a family of tee-shirts that said "I'm the Mom", I'm the Dad", I'm the Son", and so on. When you create your own design, your imagination can go on forever.
Fabric for printing comes in white or black and can be purchased in craft stores and anywhere you buy printer paper.
Ideas:
Try printing baby clipart onto fabric, then create a baby blanket.
Decorate furniture – chairs, waste baskets, foot stools
Gloves, hats and scarves, or diaper bags and purses
Wall decorations
Pictures
Any picture that will be exposed to the elements should be protected with the transparent plastic film. Fabric photos should be ironed with the special paper that comes with the fabric.
