Dpi and Why - Resolution Does Matter

We all know what it's like to make a New Year's Resolution with the best of intentions. We start out really positive, really motivated, really strong. No matter what the resolution, though, after about three weeks it just doesn't seem to be at the top of our priority list any longer. With fitness, maybe in the past you have promised yourself that you will meet a certain goal in a certain time this New Year, only to find yourself getting more and more discouraged as time passes and you haven't met that goal. Don't set yourself up to fail! You can create success by doing the following:

1.Map out a plan. You have heard the old adage "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail"? Nowhere is this truer than in the area of health and fitness. You simply can't decide to get in better shape or eat right without mapping out steps to follow through. If you decide to go to the gym, you need to decide what you are going to do there. Wandering around the equipment or deciding on the fly will not produce nearly the same results as having a goal and sticking to it. You may decide, for example, that you are going to commit to going to the gym five days a week. The next step here is to commit to doing specific exercises on those five days. For example, you could do 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and weight train Tuesdays and Thursdays. You could "allow" yourself to choose the cardio machine each day to mix it up or keep it interesting, but stick to a specific plan for the days you strength train. By focusing on specific body parts on specific days, you will not only notice results in those areas in less time, you will remain motivated to keep it up. Why? Because you set a goal - doing back and biceps on Tuesday, for example, and chest and triceps on Thursday - and stuck to it! Pretty soon, your small achievements will turn into big ones.

2.Mix it up every six weeks. Once you have the routine down and you are feeling good about yourself, the last thing you want to do is fall into a rut. Many people abandon their fitness goals because they fall into the same pattern each time they exercise, and it feels more like a chore than a fun activity. If you find yourself on the same treadmill in the same row next to the same person at the gym every day, move on to the elliptical machine or the stationary bike instead. If you really enjoy the treadmill but you run the same three miles each time you're on it, try switching to one of the pre-programmed options on the treadmill, or make your own routine. For example, you could do intervals - running at a higher speed than usual for two minutes and walking for one minute in between - until your usual amount of time has elapsed. The same holds true for weight lifting. If you usually do 10-12 reps for 3 sets of a given weight, try lifting lighter weight and doing twice the number of repetitions, or heavier weight but fewer reps. Take a class that's offered, or even join a league sport or get outside for some other fitness options. You will stay fresh and energized and a lot less prone to the fitness blues.

3.Find "your" time of day. Making exercise enjoyable cannot be done if it doesn't feel like something you are doing for yourself and no one else. A big part of this pleasure comes from finding a time of the day you can carve out for "just you". This means a time of day that is generally open to you to do as you please, and that will not come with constant interruptions as the week's progress. It also means a time of day with which you are physically comfortable. If you tend to eat a really early dinner, you are likely not going to want to exercise right after work. If you are the type of person who doesn't mind eating lunch at your desk, perhaps a mid-day workout is just what you need to keep you alert and focused for the rest of your day and stay strong with your new exercise program. If you're the kind that leaps out of bed in the morning, a pre-dawn run outside may be just your ticket. Whatever works for you, do not underestimate finding a time of day that best suits your wants and the needs of yourself, work, and family.

By simply thinking ahead and incorporating these three simple ideas, you are already on your way to making life changes you can stick with, and that is the key. Good luck on your New Year and New You!

Scanners are great tools for converting images from prints, negatives, and slides into a digital form for the purposes of storage, editing, and sharing via the internet or to produce actual prints. The quality of the images from a scanner depends in large part upon resolution. Some scanners offer significantly higher resolution than others but most allow the user to adjust the resolution used for any given scan.

Because higher resolution means more detailed and higher quality images why would a user ever select to lower resolution? There are actually a couple of reasons why someone might decide to adjust the resolution downward when scanning.

One reason that the choice to use lower resolution would be considered is that higher resolution images contain more information. The downside of more information is that file sizes are much larger, requiring much more storage space. When storage space is limited, higher resolution images can be a drawback. Users must experiment to determine what level of quality they are willing to accept in order to preserve memory.

In addition to the increased storage needs, the larger file size of high resolution images creates a second drawback. Such images are slower to scan, manipulate, and download. A user may not wish to spend exorbitant amounts of time dealing with larger file sizes and those receiving or waiting for a web page to open that contains such files may become impatient with the process as well. Again, the user has to determine how much image quality they are willing to sacrifice to get smaller files that save time.

Determining what resolution to use when scanning can depend on a number of things: the type of material being scanned, the quality of the image, and how the resulting file will be used.

Slides and negatives require a higher resolution than a print. Because they start off quite small, they will likely be enlarged for viewing purposes. When any image is enlarged, greater resolution is needed to maintain acceptable image quality. The number of pixels or bits of image information needed for the enlarged image to be of reasonable quality may need to be 2,000 or more.

If an image being scanned is a text document less information will be needed to create a clear image and, indeed, a resolution of only 100 should be sufficient. If the image scanned is a picture that will be shared only via computer, then a resolution of 100 or so may still be quite acceptable as the resolution at which a computer screen is able to display is generally limited. However, if that same image will be printed, resolution will need to be greater; perhaps 300 to obtain an acceptable image. Just as explained when scanning slides however, if a user chooses to enlarge that same image, greater resolution will be required to maintain quality. For instance, if a 4x6 print will be scanned and enlarged to a 10x15 print, then a resolution of at least 600 would be wise.

Clearly, scanning images at the highest resolution can create optimum image quality but when speed of scanning and downloading are important or storage space is limited, users are wise to consider adjusting resolution downward in situations where acceptable image quality is possible with lower settings. Some experimentation will be required to find the level of image quality that is acceptable to an individual user.

It is the start of 2007 and is the time to set your New Years resolution. I suggest that you set a personal and a business resolution. Whatever you decide you want to improve in your life whether it is to become wealthy in your online marketing business or to just be a better person, it takes a strong mindset to keep a resolution for longer than 1 day, week or month. You must believe that you are capable of reaching your goals, maybe this can be your News Years resolution to have a better mindset, and then other things in your life will also start to take shape the way you want them to.

What is the proper mindset? It is the ability to believe you are capable of conquering a set task and to truly believe that it will happen and that you deserve it. You will attract what you consistently think about and you must be aware that your thoughts are very powerful. You must take all negativity out of your life. Thinking negative or being around negative people will only cause you to fail. Find a good support team who are willing to encourage you, and if that means stepping outside of your normal support group, then do it. You may find support within your online marketing team.

You must work on your mindset daily with self-talks, reading books about the subject or listening to recorded cd’s or tapes. There are many free books and downloadable audios on the subject; all you have to do is spend a few minutes looking for the information. Your local library can also be a good source for finding quality information. Your mindset will help you to overcome the times when you are struggling at keeping your resolution.

You must visualize and internalize yourself as being the person you want to become. You must first see yourself as the person that you want others to see. When you do this over and over again it will start to become the reality you are seeking. Whether your resolution is to lose 30 pounds, quit smoking or if it's to be a create wealth at Online Marketing, you must see yourself as this person.

Remember the children’s story The Little Engine That Could that never gave up. Become the little engine in your online marketing business and get better rewards for your efforts. Everything you want is within your reach, you just have to make it come true.

We all know what it's like to make a New Year's Resolution with the best of intentions. We start out really positive, really motivated, really strong. No matter what the resolution, though, after about three weeks it just doesn't seem to be at the top of our priority list any longer. With fitness, maybe in the past you have promised yourself that you will meet a certain goal in a certain time this New Year, only to find yourself getting more and more discouraged as time passes and you haven't met that goal. Don't set yourself up to fail! You can create success by doing the following:

1.Map out a plan. You have heard the old adage "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail"? Nowhere is this truer than in the area of health and fitness. You simply can't decide to get in better shape or eat right without mapping out steps to follow through. If you decide to go to the gym, you need to decide what you are going to do there. Wandering around the equipment or deciding on the fly will not produce nearly the same results as having a goal and sticking to it. You may decide, for example, that you are going to commit to going to the gym five days a week. The next step here is to commit to doing specific exercises on those five days. For example, you could do 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and weight train Tuesdays and Thursdays. You could "allow" yourself to choose the cardio machine each day to mix it up or keep it interesting, but stick to a specific plan for the days you strength train. By focusing on specific body parts on specific days, you will not only notice results in those areas in less time, you will remain motivated to keep it up. Why? Because you set a goal - doing back and biceps on Tuesday, for example, and chest and triceps on Thursday - and stuck to it! Pretty soon, your small achievements will turn into big ones.

2.Mix it up every six weeks. Once you have the routine down and you are feeling good about yourself, the last thing you want to do is fall into a rut. Many people abandon their fitness goals because they fall into the same pattern each time they exercise, and it feels more like a chore than a fun activity. If you find yourself on the same treadmill in the same row next to the same person at the gym every day, move on to the elliptical machine or the stationary bike instead. If you really enjoy the treadmill but you run the same three miles each time you're on it, try switching to one of the pre-programmed options on the treadmill, or make your own routine. For example, you could do intervals - running at a higher speed than usual for two minutes and walking for one minute in between - until your usual amount of time has elapsed. The same holds true for weight lifting. If you usually do 10-12 reps for 3 sets of a given weight, try lifting lighter weight and doing twice the number of repetitions, or heavier weight but fewer reps. Take a class that's offered, or even join a league sport or get outside for some other fitness options. You will stay fresh and energized and a lot less prone to the fitness blues.

3.Find "your" time of day. Making exercise enjoyable cannot be done if it doesn't feel like something you are doing for yourself and no one else. A big part of this pleasure comes from finding a time of the day you can carve out for "just you". This means a time of day that is generally open to you to do as you please, and that will not come with constant interruptions as the week's progress. It also means a time of day with which you are physically comfortable. If you tend to eat a really early dinner, you are likely not going to want to exercise right after work. If you are the type of person who doesn't mind eating lunch at your desk, perhaps a mid-day workout is just what you need to keep you alert and focused for the rest of your day and stay strong with your new exercise program. If you're the kind that leaps out of bed in the morning, a pre-dawn run outside may be just your ticket. Whatever works for you, do not underestimate finding a time of day that best suits your wants and the needs of yourself, work, and family.

By simply thinking ahead and incorporating these three simple ideas, you are already on your way to making life changes you can stick with, and that is the key. Good luck on your New Year and New You!

Scanners are great tools for converting images from prints, negatives, and slides into a digital form for the purposes of storage, editing, and sharing via the internet or to produce actual prints. The quality of the images from a scanner depends in large part upon resolution. Some scanners offer significantly higher resolution than others but most allow the user to adjust the resolution used for any given scan.

Because higher resolution means more detailed and higher quality images why would a user ever select to lower resolution? There are actually a couple of reasons why someone might decide to adjust the resolution downward when scanning.

One reason that the choice to use lower resolution would be considered is that higher resolution images contain more information. The downside of more information is that file sizes are much larger, requiring much more storage space. When storage space is limited, higher resolution images can be a drawback. Users must experiment to determine what level of quality they are willing to accept in order to preserve memory.

In addition to the increased storage needs, the larger file size of high resolution images creates a second drawback. Such images are slower to scan, manipulate, and download. A user may not wish to spend exorbitant amounts of time dealing with larger file sizes and those receiving or waiting for a web page to open that contains such files may become impatient with the process as well. Again, the user has to determine how much image quality they are willing to sacrifice to get smaller files that save time.

Determining what resolution to use when scanning can depend on a number of things: the type of material being scanned, the quality of the image, and how the resulting file will be used.

Slides and negatives require a higher resolution than a print. Because they start off quite small, they will likely be enlarged for viewing purposes. When any image is enlarged, greater resolution is needed to maintain acceptable image quality. The number of pixels or bits of image information needed for the enlarged image to be of reasonable quality may need to be 2,000 or more.

If an image being scanned is a text document less information will be needed to create a clear image and, indeed, a resolution of only 100 should be sufficient. If the image scanned is a picture that will be shared only via computer, then a resolution of 100 or so may still be quite acceptable as the resolution at which a computer screen is able to display is generally limited. However, if that same image will be printed, resolution will need to be greater; perhaps 300 to obtain an acceptable image. Just as explained when scanning slides however, if a user chooses to enlarge that same image, greater resolution will be required to maintain quality. For instance, if a 4x6 print will be scanned and enlarged to a 10x15 print, then a resolution of at least 600 would be wise.

Clearly, scanning images at the highest resolution can create optimum image quality but when speed of scanning and downloading are important or storage space is limited, users are wise to consider adjusting resolution downward in situations where acceptable image quality is possible with lower settings. Some experimentation will be required to find the level of image quality that is acceptable to an individual user.

The quality of the picture displayed on the TV screen is primarily the result of the television's "resolution." Put simply, TV 'resolution' refers to how many horizontal lines are displayed on the TV screen. There are two methods that can be used to display the lines on the screen - either "Interlaced" or "Progressive Scan." The NTSC adopted the standard known as "interlaced" to provide a method of compression that achieves a higher resolution using less-costly circuitry.

The NTSC-analog standard is "525 lines - interlaced, at 30 fps" (frames per second). This may be written as: 525-i/30 fps; however, only 480 lines are used to make the visible image, the remaining lines contain information pertaining to picture synchronization and are not seen. For this reason, the stated 'resolution' usually refers only to the visible lines; ie... 480-i/30 fps.

In using the "Interlaced" method, the 480 lines are created in two fields (phases). The "scan-rate" for these (2) fields is 60hz (60 times per second). In phase #1, the first 1/60th of a second, 240 lines (the odd numbered lines - 1,3,5 etc) are scanned on the tube. In the second 1/60th of a second, (phase #2)- the remaining 240 (even-numbered) lines are scanned. Thus each field of 240 lines is scanned 30 times a second, and produces one complete frame (30) times per second; (1/60 second X 2 fields = 2/60 second = 1 complete frame, 30 times per second). It's the total lines-per-image that indicates the resolution of the system, ie: (525-i or 480-i).

When resolution is considered, both the resolution of the transmitted signal and the (native) displayed resolution of a TV set are taken into account. Digital NTSC- and PAL/SECAM-like signals (480i60 and 576i50 respectively) are transmitted at a horizontal resolution of 720 or 704 "pixels". However these transmitted DTV "pixels" are not square, and have to be stretched for correct viewing. PAL TV sets with an aspect ratio of 4:3 use a fixed pixel grid of 768 × 576 or 720 × 540; with an aspect ratio of 16:9 they use 1440 x 768, 1024 × 576 or 960 × 540; NTSC ones use 640 × 480 and 852 × 480 or, seldom, 720 × 540. High Definition usually refers to one million pixels or more.

In Australia, the 576p50 format is also considered a HDTV format, as it has doubled temporal resolution though the use of progressive scanning. Thus, a number of Australian networks broadcast a 576p signal as their High-definition DVB-T signal, while others use the more conventional 720p and 1080i formats. Technically, however, the 576p format is defined as Enhanced-definition television.

Standard frame or field rates:

23.977p (allow easy conversion to NTSC)
24p (cinematic film)
25p (PAL, SECAM DTV progressive material)
30p (NTSC DTV progressive material)
50p (PAL, SECAM DTV progressive material)
60p (NTSC DTV progressive material)
50i (PAL & SECAM)
60i (NTSC, PAL-M)

HDTV also has formats that use the interlaced system; however, DTV also uses another system, called "Progressive Scan." The progressive system scans the total number of lines, 60 times a second; not half and half as in interlaced. This means you see the complete image displayed on your TV screen two-times more often. This results in smoother motion; moving images have less ‘motion artifacts’ with none of the visible "flicker." A progressive scan system with 480 lines of resolution is written, "480p." Interlace and Progressive Scan

As already stated, the ATSC has assigned (18) formats to Digital TV. HDTV is primarily concerned with just two of these formats at present: 1080-i and 720-p. (or Higher! - 1080p HDTV-Resolution is now a reality) The ATSC Standard for High Definition Television accepts either 1080 - interlaced scan lines, or 720 – progressive scan lines, or higher

Beware of "burn out." This usually happens after you have achieved a short-term goal. You pat yourself on the back and decide to "kick it up a notch," but your body is at the limit. You have to listen to your body. Although you can make improvements "in leaps and bounds," it is not a machine.

Use different approaches: Walk, use cardio machines, swim, and use weights. If you are bored, jump into a group fitness class such as Yoga, Pilates, cardio kickboxing, spinning, aerobics, body shaping, or something else. You may find one of them to be your "calling."

Don't knock anything until you have tried it. Many people perceive an exercise to be one thing, until they are deeply involved in it. There's nothing wrong with being the only man in a Yoga class. Also, there's nothing wrong with being the only woman in a martial arts class.

Fitness is an equal opportunity environment, so get the stereotypes out of your head and don't buy into classic excuses. I had a client with Cerebral Palsy on one side of her body. She had also been involved in a traffic accident, which caused permanent damage to her knee and ankle, on the other side of her body.

She used to drive an hour from her home in Massachusetts to our location in North Providence, Rhode Island. She was around 60 pounds over her ideal weight. She never made excuses or missed an appointment. She lost all of that weight within two years, and she is now a personal trainer.

Make sure the people you surround yourself with are supportive of your goals. For example: It's hard to lose weight if your husband insists on bringing home a supply of Big Macs every night. Your resolution may turn into a disaster if this is the case.

You may have to adjust your lifestyle to be persistent, positive, and goal oriented. Once you carry through, and succeed with one resolution, it will be a fantastic experience. This is the beginning of using goal-setting skills to enhance the quality of your entire life.

Lastly, remember this all started with writing down a plan that I mentioned in Part One. Your resolution should be as detailed as possible. Clearly define your resolution with realistic time frames and deadlines. Your odds of following through, making progress, and reaching your goals, will exponentially increase just by putting it in writing. Consider this a contract with yourself.

© Copyright 2005 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications