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Microsoft

From LiveSide - New version of Outlook Live for Windows Mobile available – for some. As part of the upcoming release of Exchange Server 2010, a new version of Outlook Live for Windows Mobile became available today.  This new Outlook Live, formerly Exchange Labs and code named Skyline (not the Outlook Live that preceded Outlook Connector), is an installable client for any Windows Mobile 6.1 phone that uses Exchange Server 2010.

Two new Windows Live services coming soon: Documents and Devices

It seems like Windows Live Wave 4 is well underway, and the consolidation of Office Live and Live Mesh with Windows Live could only make it better.

Something I have had to do a lot of lately is install printers in home networks with 32bit and 64 bit machines running mixtures of Windows 7, Vista and XP. This article from Digital Inspiration succinctly explains how to get this to work. Share a Network Printer between x86 and x64 Windows Machines.

Outlook 2010 is going to be able to sync to the cloud and mobile devices so you can take it where ever you go. Thanks to Sarah for the tip.

We had an awesome day yesterday. Shannon Plummer who is a wildlife photographer of some repute came to our place to shoot our reptiles. She was kind enough to let me mimic her setup and get plenty of good shots. I didn’t get a picture of the whole setup unfortunately so I have added a drawing below.

The background is a white sheet lit from below the table with my flash on full power. She used two more flashes on stands over the table to left and right through umbrellas. I used a single flash higher up and pointing down from slightly behind and to the right of the camera.

The table top itself was covered in a white cloth and then a white sheet of perspex (acrylic) with a glossy surface placed on top.

Clearing the browser from all the links to cool tools and content for today.

Microsoft Stuff

• Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 BETA – Includes enhancements for Windows 7-based computers
• Seadragon.com – Convert Any Image On The Web Into A Deep Zoom Image
• Deep Zoom Composer Updated To Fix An Export Related Bug
• Streaming Media in Windows 7 – Streaming your collection over the Internet – unfortunately this doesn’t work if your Windows 7 machine is joined to a domain
• Sneak peek of what’s coming in Windows Live Movie Maker
• Live Video Streaming: Guide To The Best Broadcast Services To Stream Your Video In Real-Time
• What's new in Windows 7: Tour Windows 7
• Get a Live-Updating Bing Wallpaper Windows 7 Theme – i did this it worked really easily
• Megawoosh Slide for Microsoft Project – this is a funny little video that has gone viral in Europe. Heads up from Duncan’s blog.

After over a month of waiting I finally collected my new camera yesterday.

I had to wait because the lenses I wanted were not in the country and I had to wait til shipments came in. Even then, the wide angle lens I was trying to purchase wasn’t available so i ended up with a somewhat cheaper lower specced lens. I did however get my good telephoto lens.

  Equipment list:

• Canon EOS 50D
• Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens
• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens
• Manfroto 190XDB Tripod
• Manfroto 804RC2 three way head
• Gorillapod SLR Tripod
• LowePro Nova 140AW bag

Equipment reviews that I used to make my choice from:

• Canon EOS 50D – review from Digital Photography Blog
• Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens – review from The-Digital-Picture
• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens – review from The-Digital-Picture

The-Digital-Picture website also contain sample photos taken with the lenses – made the choice a lot easier.

Now I need to get going with my photography. I have a willing subject in Kitty, and plenty of landscape shots I want to take. I will be posting photos on Flickr as usual and the best ones will get to my Red Bubble account where they will be available to purchase in various formats.