Don't skin that alien, hand me the palette knife!*

Any company with the motto "We will never wear suits" must be my kind of company, and so it is with Alien Skin Software. The company's plug-ins for Photoshop and other applications that accept Photoshop plug ins (which is most image editing programs) are well known for their versatility and imagination. The latest offering from Alien Skin is called Snap Art. A copy sailed onto my hard drive this week.

For the test drive, I started with a photo of my singing cat, Tangerine. Here he is belting out the final line of The Star Spangled Banner. Unfortunately, I don't have the soundtrack to share with you.

	What we have here is essentially an ordinary photo of a singing cat. Each of the Snap Art filters has a default setting, but each also comes with a variety of presets and each allows the user to modify the settings and save the results as additional presets. In my testing, I've generally used the default settings. CLICK THE IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW
	This is a comic-book cat made up of the large CMYK dots you'll see in comic books or in artwork by Roy Lichtenstein. This effect is not a particularly good choice for this image. Cats are furry (except for the hairless kind) and fur has a lot of fine detail. That detail is largely lost with this effect.
	Or maybe you'd prefer Tangerine as a watercolor study.
	Or pen and ink. Here's where it starts to get really interesting. I wondered what would happen if I put the pen and ink layer in the background, put the watercolor layer in the foreground and then tinkered with transparency.
	This is the result: A watercolor effect with some added detail.
	My final test (although not the last of the filters) was going to be this stylized approach. This does more to suggest a cat than to actually illustrate the cat. But what if I turned the pen and ink layer back on, put the stylized layer on top and made it partially transparent?
	This is what would happen.
The danger of applications such as Snap Art is that they are so easy to use that they are used inappropriately. Remember "page curl"? I'm fairly certain that effect wasn't one of Alien Skin's, but you'll recall how common it was. Everyone had to apply page curl to an image—not because it improved the image or added anything to the meaning of the image, but only because it could be done with a couple of clicks. Not every image deserves to be converted to an electronic version of something by one of the Great Masters, but when you have a good reason to use such an effect, you'll be glad that you have Snap Art in your tool kit. Alien Skin describes how the filters work: Conventional artists often use an under drawing to outline key objects within a composition. This lightly drawn sketch serves as a guide and is usually painted or drawn over in the final composition. Similarly, Snap Art uses edge detection to discern the objects, edges, lines, and shapes of an original image. Then, using this outline, an advanced paint engine strokes and fills this outline using the brushes and colors you specify. This allows realistic reproduction of detail, but balances that realism with convincing artistry.
	Using the filters is straightforward. Select the one you want from a drop-down menu and then either use the defaults (the factory default for pointillism is shown here), select one of the other presets from the list at the left, or used the tabbed dialog boxes across the top to change the individual settings.
	I tried one of the other presets. This one provides more detail by using smaller brush strokes. Each change redraws the preview pane.
	But then I moved on to change other settings by making the brush size even smaller, increasing paint coverage, and specifying a rough-weave canvas for the surface of the painting. It's highly unlikely that my work will ever be mistaken for that of Georges-Pierre Seurat, but Tangerine seemed to like it.

*Apologies to Firesign Theater for ripping off the title of one of their performances ("Don't Crush that Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers!")

Snap Art is way more fun than a barrel of rutabagas and a lot easier to use, too.

Alien Skin has a long history of turning out products that are both useful and fun to use. That record continues with Snap Art. This $150 application could be a real winner for both professional and serious amateur photographers.

For more information, visit the Snap Art page at the Alien Skin website.

No, AOL didn't exactly invent instant messaging

"E-mail is the IM for old folks," I've heard from the youngsters who mistakenly believe that they invented typing without pressing the shift key and that shortspeak writing is an invention of the current century. United Press International's bureau staffers were legendary for their abbreviations in buro-2-buro communications; before them, there were amateur radio operators; earlier still were the telegraphers and their special codes. And there's always Variety.
No matter who invented what first, instant messaging has certain advantages. An IM can often get through when a person is on the phone or otherwise occupied. It's a step or two above e-mail on the urgency scale. And because you have a connection open the instant you receive an IM, replies are quick and easy. The hardest part may be deciding which IM application to use.

But first, this message from the past

Who did it first? Telegraphers had the Phillips Code. UPI had its own shortspeak. Here's a bogus UPI buro request. It's bogus because the question shown was never asked; UPI led the pack on the story involved, but the text illustrates how it's possible to say a lot with just a few letters:

JO
ROX and JITS showing NX locals with DB Cooper hedlines jumping with loot. How ples?
This would be a message from UP headquarters to the Portland Oregon Journal. In plain English, the message says that the Associated Press (ROX because they were located at Rockefeller Center in NYC) and the International News Service (which by the time of this story had merged with United Press to create United Press International) have headlines in the local papers reporting that air pirate DB Cooper jumped out of the hijacked airliner with the money he stole. How shall we treat this report?

• Thanks to Billy Joe McFarland of the JO (Oregon Journal) and Mary Joan O'Connell, who interviewed him, for the text. McFarland worked for UPI and then for the Oregon Journal, which closed in 1982, at which time, per the Newhouse agreement, he was taken on by The Oregonian, where he stayed until he retired.
• Yes, Oregon Journal was JO instead of OJ. That wasn't a typo. Old-time United Press International employees (unipressers) often refer to themselves as downholders because UPI management was always exhorting them to hold down expenses.
• Backwards they spoke long years Yoda before, did they! See www.DownHold.org.
• At the time Cooper jumped out of the airplane, he was known as Dan Cooper. The "DB" business came later, so that wouldn't have been in the query either. Learn more about the story here.

The Associated Press adopted telegraphers' abbreviations called the Phillips Code. Some of these are still used today in AP wire slugs. POTUS CONFRONTS SCOTUS: The President of the United States confronts the Supreme Court of the United States.

An amateur radio operator might say: ARL THREE FOONMAN ARL FOUR ARL TWO.
Translation: "Am in Foonman hospital. Receiving excellent care and recovering fine. Only slight property damage here. Do not be concerned about disaster reports. Coming home as soon as possible."

The classic example from Variety is Hix Nix Stix Pix.
Translation: The inhabitants of the heartland criticize films that depicted rural American life and rural themes.

You can say a lot with just a few words. Or symbols. But then I've often been accused of being symbol minded.

A couple of IM users might have this exchange: ru home? • wrk • k cul
Translation: Are you home? • No, I'm at work. • Oh. OK. See you later.

Pidgin or Trillian?

Two of the more popular IM applications are Pidgin (formerly GAIM; the name was changed after AOL made menacing legal noises) and Trillian. Both are free, but Trillian is available in a paid version with a few additional features.

	Here they are side by side, Pidgin on the left, Trillian on the right. I have two accounts and I'm talking to myself. I like Trillian's "smileys" because there are so many of them and because some of them include a sound. But if you send a message with a Trillian smiley to any other IM client, all you get on the other end is the text representation. CLICK THE IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW
	Pidgin provides a lot of information about a user if you just hover the mouse above the user's screen name.
	Trillian provide less information initially ...
	... but more information if you choose the Get Info option.
	IMs can be fun with Trillian's smileys. The cat meows. The dog barks. There's even a duck that quacks and the LOL smiley giggles.
	Both Pidgin and Trillian offer plug-ins, but Trillian's free version is limited to using just the plug-ins that come with the application.
	Pidgin, on the other hand, comes with a large variety of plug ins. Pidgin uses the GTK+ plug in to control typefaces and other visual aspects of the user interface. This isn't as robust as Trillian's "skins".
	Skins are available to all Trillian users, those with the free version and those with the paid version. Additional skins are available on the company's website.
	When it comes to supporting various types of IM services, Pidgin is the clear winner with options for 15 IM services: AIM, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, Groupwise, ICQ, IRC, MSN, QQ, SILC, SIMPLE, Sametime, XMPP, Yahoo, and Zephyr.
	Trillian offers only the "big 3".

Both of these applications work and work well. If you prefer style and amusing extras, Trillian is the better choice. If your tastes tend toward more basic messaging or you need more than just AOL, ICQ, and MSN, then Pidgin is the better selection. So both applications have earned 4-cat ratings, but each for a different reason.

Trillian puts style before substance

Of the two applications, Trillian certainly has the more attractive interface and the extra sound-enhanced smileys make the application a lot of fun. If you don't need access to more than the 3 main IM providers, this is a good choice.

For more information, visit the Trillian website.

Pidgin (formerly GAIM) probably can communicate even with space aliens

The rewrite for the new version of the application has resolved most of the problems that caused earlier versions to crash. The wide variety of IM services supported by Pidgin give it an edge for those who need to communicate across many platforms, but it lacks some of Trillian's polish.

For more information, visit the Pidgin website.

Adobe Acrobat performs on a Bridge

Creative Suite 3 is the latest version of Adobe's increasingly sophisticated collection of applications designed to work across many platforms, from the Internet's Web to web presses. With the acquisition of Macromedia, Adobe has strengthened its product line with the addition of Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Flash, but long-time users of GoLive will probably be disappointed that further development of that product seems to have halted. Likewise for users of Macromedia's vector-based design application, Freehand. The older applications are still being offered for sale, along with other applications that have been essentially frozen in time. CS3 is far too large to examine in a single edition of TechByter Worldwide, so this time I'll take a look at Acrobat and Bridge.

A bridge to the future

Adobe Bridge is the kind of application that, once you've seen it in action, you wonder how you ever managed to live without it. Bridge is included with all of the CS3 suites and it works equally well with all of the applications in the suites. In this case, I'm showing Bridge with digital photographs, so you may think of it primarily as a front-end and organizer for Photoshop. Bridge goes far beyond that.

	Here I have small thumbnail images and a medium size preview. Be sure to take a look at the larger version of this image and examine all of the information that's provided. CLICK THE IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW (Larger views are 1440px wide.)
	Now I've made the thumbnails larger. This is particularly handy when you're trying to pick from among several images. Note that I've replaced "favorites" on the left panel with a list of directories.
	Here's another way of looking at things—a film strip across the bottom of the page.
	And there are direct links to various other programs via Bridge's menu.

New in Bridge CS3

Device Central allows you to preview images, animations, and other content you're developing for mobile devices so that you can test and optimize the design. You can also set color preferences in Bridge for more consistent color throughout various projects. A single change affects color settings for Photoshop CS3, Illustrator CS3, InDesign CS3, and Acrobat 8 Professional. Version Cue works from inside Bridge to manage files within work teams. Cue allows you to track multiple versions of files to avoid file collisions.

A talented acrobat

In many ways, Acrobat is the key to nearly everything Adobe does. Acrobat files can be used to share information while maintaining the proper format, inside a single business or via e-mail. PDF documents are commonly used both in print make-ready processes and in the printing process itself. You'll find them on websites. PDF versions of instruction manuals are available on-line for those who lose the manuals that came with their camera, recorder, or phone.

Some of the new features in version 8

In Acrobat Pro, you can combine multiple files into searchable, sortable PDF package that maintains the individual security settings and digital signatures of each included PDF document and you can permanently remove sensitive information Permanently remove metadata, hidden layers, and other concealed information, and use redaction tools to permanently delete sensitive text, illustrations, or other content.

Acrobat standard allows users to save a PDF as a Microsoft Word document, retaining the layout, fonts, formatting, and tables. This is tremendously helpful when you receive a PDF document that must be incorporated into a larger document.

Acrobat 3D is the high-end product that makes it possible to convert virtually any CAD file into a 3D PDF file, which means that architects and designers can protect their intellectual property by keeping CAD files in house and releasing only PDF versions.

The following chart (provided by Adobe) shows how the applications fit together. The Reader is free and is limited primarily to viewing existing PDF documents, but the Pro and 3D versions can create files that enable them to be modified by users of the Reader.

Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Bridge (part of Creative Suite 3)

Two key components of CS3 are Bridge (which is included with all variants) and Acrobat (which is included with many). Bridge is the glue that holds the other applications together and provides a remarkable level of interoperability. Acrobat builds on that application's previous strengths by adding new capabilities and improved functionality.

For more information, visit the Adobe CS3 website. Warning: This site is an example of wretched excess, of doing something "creative" simply because you can, of putting form ahead of substance, of creating pages that will take far too long to load even on a fast connection. Fortunately the CS3 applications themselves don't suffer from this problem.

Nerdly News

AllOfMP3 is dead. Short live AllTunes.

You've known it was coming, but the Russian government has finally shut down AllOfMP3.com. That's the music downloading service that claimed to operate under Russian broadcasting rules. The recording industry has been calling for its abolition for years. Now the site is closed. AllOfMP3 allowed users to download music on a bulk basis — 2 cents per megabyte in some cases — so an entire CD's worth of music might cost $2 to $5. If you had money in an account at AllOfMP3, it's not gone but you'll need to act fast.

And you can't add any new funds to your account. Visa and Master Card stopped processing payments when the Russian government shut down the site.

The site has an estimated 6 million users. AllofMP3 claimed to pay 15% of its revenues to the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society, but recording companies say they've never received money from ROMS. It took blackmail by the world community to bring the site down, though. The World Trade Organization suggested that it might consider admitting Russia to the club, but only if it killed the music service.

Dell puts the brakes on Vista

After being at the front of the Vista parade, Dell is now warning businesses that there are challenges involved in implementing the new operating system company-wide. This is something IT professionals already know and it's why some companies are still operating on Windows 2000 machines. Vista offers some real advantages, particularly in terms of security and for those who work with graphics. The interface of the new operating system is both attractive and utilitarian, but the differences between Vista and earlier operating systems will slow users until they get the hang of things.

Microsoft passed 40 million units sold, but most of the buyers have been home users. Dell says there are advantages to migrating to Vista, but companies must be aware of the dangers, too. And that includes the migration of applications. Those who use applications from top-tier vendors won't have a problem, but most of us use applications from smaller vendors and many shops have some of their own applications. Companies need to allow time for testing and certifying those new applications.

Some companies are waiting for the first service pack to be introduced before upgrading. But that's unlikely to happen until mid 2008 at the earliest. Those who think that are stuck in the past. Windows 95 was a major departure from what had been before. Windows 98 wasn't as big a step, but it wasn't really stable until the "Second Edition" version. Windows 2000 was relatively stable from the initial release. Windows XP was stable from the first release, although service packs fixed problems.

Opinion: Vista was late to market, but that's because Microsoft spent more time testing it than it has ever spent before on an operating system. The only question in my mind for home users is whether to upgrade an existing machine (challenging) or to wait until you buy a new machine (easy). Before you choose either course, research what's new in Vista and be sure that you and your applications are ready.

Oh, yeah. Apple's Iphone went on sale this week

Finally! Now maybe the technobabblers can talk about something else. The Iphone is cool, granted, but it's just a phone (and an organizer and music player). I don't have one and I don't want one. It's a tiny box filled with lots of things that can wear out, break, or go bad. It's a first-generation device. It ties users to AT&T. But this week it generated a lot of buzz.

There were the sites (several) by people who bought an Iphone and took it apart to see what's inside. Why? Maybe they wanted to invest in companies that make the parts.

There were the sites (mostly PC-specific publishers) who put out articles such as "Ten Reasons the Iphone Sucks." Those were probably filled with rational thoughts and well-reasoned augments.

And there were whines from the people who stood in line for 18 hours, bought a bunch of Iphones, and then found that they couldn't peddle them on Ebay for inflated prices. One's heart bleeds. Apple was posting messages on Craig's List and other sites reminding people that Iphones were in stock at reasonable (?) prices at their local Apple store.

If you want one, maybe you can find a half-price deal on Ebay.

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