17+ years as a featured technology columnist and editor across seven regional, national, and international publications — on the internet, networking, hardware, society, and the arrival of AI in agriculture.
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In an age wherein technological advancement is a dominant force, featuring profound impacts which shape both industry and society at large, one sector has taken a more measured approach to its adoption:…
Is AI Coming for Your Grow? Elon Musk has been grabbing headlines lately, and while this is not unusual for the serial tech entrepreneur, his dire warnings about a technology which lies…
Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence that enables machines to interpret and understand visual information from the world around them. The technology has rapidly evolved in recent years, with deep…
Since the Neolithic Period, which marked the dawn of agriculture some 12,000 years ago, man has been at war. The adversary, adaptable, advantaged by overwhelming numerical superiority and an evolutionary head-start reckoned…
Not every worthwhile piece of gear costs a fortune. A tour through the best value buys in photography, from prime glass and clever accessories to the smartest ways to spend at the…
Building a studio but short on cash? What's truly essential, what you can skip, and how to improvise great backgrounds, gobos, and props from paper rolls, garage-sale chairs, card tables, and thrift-shop…
Tired of your photos looking like everyone else's? A roadmap to a personal style: master the rules, imitate photographers you admire, specialize, draw on your other passions, then describe and test your…
Hardware filters got you baffled? Why the UV filter is mostly a money-maker, and the three that actually earn a place in your bag: the graduated ND, the straight neutral density, and…
Great landscape photography is patience, persistence, and preparedness, not just pointing your camera at a pretty view. Scouting and golden light, the gear and filters that matter, leading lines and scale, and…
Is Ansel Adams' Zone System a relic in the age of digital metering? A practical guide to the 11 tonal zones, visualization, and using a spot meter to nail exposure in manual…
Boston artist and inventor Steve Hollinger on the Squito, a throwable, spinning ball-shaped camera that captures spherical panoramas. The genesis of the idea, search-and-rescue uses, why it beats drones, and the realities…
One of the most useful tools in the photographer's bag, and the cheapest. How to tame harsh outdoor shadows with gold, silver, and white reflectors, how to use them solo, and a…
We were skeptical about Creative Cloud. We were wrong. A review of Photoshop CC: cloud collaboration and Behance, synced preferences, and the features photographers will love, dramatically better Smart Sharpen, intelligent upsampling,…
Shaping light is what separates the pro from the amateur. A tour of the studio photographer's modifiers: shoot-through and reflective umbrellas, soft boxes, snoots and grids, and coloured gels, and when to…
Lightroom 5 is full of hidden goodies. Smarter collections and target collections, enhanced crop and loupe overlays, side-by-side soft proofing, and on-screen Lab colour values, the lesser-known features worth knowing.
Want the best black and white conversion in the least time? onOne's Perfect B&W plugs into Lightroom and Photoshop and brings 35 scanned film grains, toners, blending, and remarkably controllable sharpening. We…
The world's first touch-screen light meter, reviewed. Is the Sekonic L-478DR's interface real utility or just eye-candy? We pit it against the L-358 and an iPhone app, profile cameras, and test it…
Digital metering is good enough to skip the hand-held meter, right? Not so fast. The case for the light meter: faster studio sessions, happier models, and accurate incident readings your in-camera meter…
The Lab colour space baffles a lot of photographers, but it's one of the most powerful tools in Photoshop. What L, a, and b actually mean, why Lab's huge gamut matters, and…
Why dispense with nature's lush palette for monochrome? Because removing colour reveals shape, line, texture, and contrast. A guide to seeing, shooting, and processing for great black and white photography.
Ready to move beyond the rule of thirds? An exploration of the golden ratio, the golden spiral, and centre placement, plus how to apply these centuries-old compositional guides using Lightroom's crop overlays.
South African photographer Dallas Dahms on building the NikonGear / Fotozones community (and the censorship spat that started it), running Big 5 photography safaris in the Sabi Sands, his winding career, and…
The best camera is the one you have with you, and increasingly that's your phone. How to work within a smartphone's limitations and play to its strengths: steady the shot, frame creatively,…
You nailed the moment, but the shot came out soft. The three culprits behind blurry photos, blown focus, camera shake, and inadequate shutter speed, explained, with fixes for each and a handy…
Ready to move from candids of family and the neighbourhood squirrel to live models? How to find subjects, prepare for a shoot, direct with confidence, give feedback, and navigate the 'never touch…
Photographers are videographers now too, until it's time to edit the footage. A look at Premiere Pro CS6: native DSLR formats, Photoshop integration, a customizable two-up interface, better audio, and Warp Stabilizer…
Adobe pulled back the curtain on Lightroom 5. A first look at the new radial filter, the Advanced Healing Brush, Visualizer Spots for dust, automatic perspective correction with Upright, Smart Previews, and…
Is Nikon's 24-70mm f/2.8 worth upgrading from the beloved 28-70 'Beast'? A head-to-head test of sharpness, vignetting, flare, and the Nano Crystal Coating settles a long-held reluctance.
Why don't your prints match what you see on screen? A walk through the digital photographic chain, from camera LCD to monitor to paper, and the decisions at every step (calibration, colour…
Nikon's full-frame powerhouse for under 200. We took the 24.3MP D600 to a foggy trestle bridge and the Nanaimo harbour to test its dynamic range, colour, dual card slots, and 1080p video.…
Sometimes a negative can be a good thing. How the blank, nondescript area around your subject gives it prominence and meaning, from shallow depth of field to clever design, with a nod…
World-class Dutch photographer and Kelby instructor Frank Doorhof on how 9/11 pushed him into stills, getting discovered by Scott Kelby, why he swears by light meters, medium format, and building a creative…
Nikon has the D4. Canon's answer is the EOS 1DX. We pit the two pro flagships head to head on sensor, autofocus, video, speed, ergonomics, and price.
Professional macro photographer and digital artist Sharon Johnstone on dewdrops, oil-and-water abstractions, the gear she can't live without, and why she steps outside the back door to find her subjects.
Nikon's new top-dog finally shoots full 1080p, bursts at 11 frames per second, and pushes ISO to 204,800. A close look at the D4, and whether it is worth the upgrade.
Is Nikon's '1' series the best of both worlds, the porridge Goldilocks would have selected? Two testers, a consumer and a working pro, put the V1 through a week of real-world shooting.
Adobe has once again raised the bar. A hands-on look at Lightroom 4: video editing, Blurb book integration, the new Map module, and a dramatically improved Develop module.
Going on vacation is one occasion where you won't want to leave your camera behind. How to right-size your kit, choose your subjects, and come home with photos worth sharing.
If you believe some interpretations of the Mayan calendar, 2012 is to be our last year on the planet. A tongue-in-cheek look at what survives us, and why you should print your…
One of the most useful, yet least understood features of your digital camera has got to be the histogram. A plain-language guide to reading that daunting bar graph and using it to…
Documentary photographer Jeremiah Armstrong of Armstrong Creative on structuring reality, the painful switch from film to digital, how the 'good enough' culture devalued the craft, and his honest advice for anyone thinking…
Why does the same photo look different on your camera, screen, and in print? An explanation of colour gamut, colour spaces, and ICC profiles, plus 10 practical steps to keep your colours…
Part two of building a studio. Working with a single key light and a reflector: high key versus low key, light distance and size, and the classic portrait patterns, broad, short, butterfly,…
Adobe's first 'mid-cycle' release bets big on tablets. A look at the Photoshop Touch SDK and its sample apps, Color Lava and Nav, plus a candid afterword on the Digital Publishing Suite…
Part two of choosing your first DSLR. Why it pays to stick with Nikon or Canon, which heavily marketed features to ignore, and the specs that actually matter: viewfinder coverage, ergonomics, battery…
Datacolor closes the loop with a kit that calibrates both your monitor and your printer. A hands-on review of the Spyder3Studio SR, from the flight-case packaging to perfect prints.
The D7000's baby brother reviewed. The D5100 packs a 16.2MP sensor, full 1080p video, and a clever swivel screen into an affordable body, but how does its autofocus and kit lens hold…
New to the DSLR world? Meet the Three Kings that govern every exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. A plain-language guide to depth of field, f-stops, shooting modes, and putting it all…
What makes an image interesting? One of the most effective yet least understood devices is visual tension. A look at how cropping, shape, light and shadow, and juxtaposition pull a viewer in.
“If you haven’t done anything wrong, you should have nothing to hide”. This is the commonplace refrain of those who stand opposed to the concept of privacy, if not total anonymity in…
Web 3.0? With all the buzz surrounding so called ‘Web 2.0’ features including net based applications, social networking, tagging, blogs, automated syndication of content and the like, it’s often hard to see…
Last month we initiated a discussion on the implications and definitions of a business based “Disaster”. This time around, we will delve a little deeper into the topic and go over some…
The Changing Face of Information Technology As promised, this month we will explore the ever changing role women are playing in Information Technology. I was curious to find out why the female…
Some folks over in Redmond are getting rather nervous these days. You see, there’s this upstart company who’s been getting a little too big for its britches lately and may well interfere…
Last month we undertook a discussion on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and its implications in the United States and the ensuing effect beyond that country’s borders. In Canada for example, our…
Digital Legacy In these days of heightened environmental consciousness, you probably have some notion of what your ‘carbon footprint’ is; however, few people consider their ever-expanding ‘digital footprint’ or its ramifications in…
The Ultimate Office? As I sit here typing, at an outpost deep in the jungle, some 60 miles from the ancient Mayan ruins of Calakmul, I can't help but wonder how I…
Instant messaging (IM) has revolutionized the way people communicate on so many levels it truly amazes me that it wasn’t widely adopted until the recent past. You see, despite the fact that…
When I purchased my very first cellular telephone, I found myself among a select club of early adopters who were regarded by those not so equipped as necessarily well to do –…
Digital technology has freed us from the yoke of traditional content delivery mechanisms in ways we, scant years ago, could never have imagined. No more need we schedule our lives according to…
Let me start off by saying that Adobe, with this latest, most comprehensive offering to date, has raised the bar to such a degree that competitors would be hard pressed to even…
Metropolitan Wireless Internet Access The Promise For years, wires have been the bane of my domestic existence. As an electronic musician and a techie, I have had wires of every variety snaking…
Industry mavens have been predicting the advent of convergence for years. Had the public actually bought into this prognostication however, we’d all be seated in front of our computers every time we…
Last month we undertook a preliminary investigation of an emerging, and potentially planet altering technology, distributed computing. Now that we have an understanding regarding the fundamentals of the model upon which it…
Ok, you heard it here first: the “supercomputer” is dead. “What?” you say, “didn’t the US government just spend $110,000,000 on a 106 ton, 2 basketball court sized behemoth to model nuclear…
As you’ll remember, last month we began our investigation into the impediments to globalization in light of the recent Summit of the Americas in Quebec City. This month we will continue our…
Last month if you recall, we undertook an investigation of the various vector graphic options available to the web designer, contrasting Macromedia’s proprietary SWF format and the new SVG open standard championed…
As you may recall, last month we undertook an investigation of standards and their application in nearly all aspects of daily life. This time out we’ll continue this theme with an article…
Last month “Connected” took a bit of a hiatus as I had the opportunity to finally switch off my computer (and my brain) and take an excursion to Thailand. The experience was…
Well, last month we engaged in a discussion surrounding the promises and pitfalls facing corporations and private citizens hoping to take advantage of emerging wireless technologies. This time around I’m sitting here…
Ok, you all know I LOVE technology… my prayer rug faces Silicon Valley. I am a sucker for pretty much every gadget that comes on the market which promises to make my…
If you recall, last month we concluded a two part series on the abysmal state of customer service in Canada. This time out, it is my pleasure to report on a company…
Do you recall, how in the mid ‘90’s, the pundits prognosticated that over the course of the next decade, due to increasing competition and specialization in the marketplace, the most successful businesses…
As you will recall, last month, our two graphic design titans Corel and Adobe continued to wage the war we initiated the month prior. We again pit Photoshop 5.5 and PhotoPaint 9…
As you may recall, last month we pitted the two reigning vector graphics packages, Adobe Illustrator 8 and Corel Draw 9 against one another and Corel's product emerged victorious by a slim…
If you recall, last month we initiated a head-to-head comparison of the two leading vector graphics applications Corel Draw 9 and Adobe Illustrator 8. So far the score is 4-0 in favour…
As you may recall, last month we undertook an overview of basic graphic design principles in reference to the production of business materials. Now that we've got these techniques in mind, we'll…
As you perhaps recall, last month we undertook to discern the differences between two financial management tools: QuickBooks Pro and Quicken Home and Business. While that piece marked the termination of our…
QuickBooks the Final Chapter As you may remember, last time around, we delved into the standard features of Intuit's SOHO accounting package, QuickBooks Pro. As we continue our examination of this administrative…
Last month we initiated an investigation of the small enterprise administrative application, Intuit's QuickBooks Pro. This time around we will take a closer look at this product in order to gain an…
Rogers Rant, QuickBooks Rave While last month we undertook an examination of the small business accounting software Accpac Simply Accounting, this time around we'll take a good quick look at its chief…
Last month we took a look at a an excellent administrative system oriented towards the smaller enterprise: Quicken Home and Business. This time around I had intended to examine it’s big brother…
Virtually daily, articles are published regarding the award of enormous government contracts to companies no bigger than yours, and yet; the prospect of selling to this public sector vertical is daunting to…
Last month we undertook an overview of the role administrative systems play in the SOHO market, and how vital their implementation can be to the overall success of any enterprise. Over the…
Over the last few articles we have looked at utilising the Internet to its fullest potential in a commercial setting. As this column is dedicated to exploring issues related to the appropriate…
Over the course of the past few months we have been looking at various ERP packages including FreeBalance, SAP and PeopleSoft. This month I thought that we'd abandon the discussion of the…
Over the last few issues, we have been investigating various Enterprise Resource Planning packages available to the public sector, concentrating on the weighty offerings of SAP and PeopleSoft. This month I thought…
As last month we took a look at the emerging Internet connectivity technology ADSL, I thought that this time around we'd examine Internet content itself with a discussion on web site design,…
As the Internet has increasingly become a vital component of many small businesses, and as content has driven an insatiable hunger for bandwidth, I thought an investigation of the emerging connectivity medium…
As you may recall, last time around we took an in depth look at SAP’s R/3 enterprise resource planning software. This month we shall continue our investigation of ERP solution providers with…
Within the last few articles we took at look at server and OS alternatives, as our examination of core networking components has continued. This month I thought we’d explore intra-enterprise connectivity with…
The 800 pound Gorilla of ERP: SAP R/3 Last month we began our examination of Enterprise Resource Planning software with an overview of the technology and a brief discussion of the major…
Enterprise Resource Planning In the perfect IT environment, all business processes would be supported by a single application which managed every aspect of departmental interconnectivity, utilizing a single database from which a…
As you may recall, last month I was not a very happy camper as a result of the seemingly endless frustration I was experiencing due to numerous failed attempts to get Windows…
Sorry to start off this month’s column with a rant but well, I’m very exasperated! I have spent the last two days trying every conceivable solution in order to get my long…
Over the past couple of years I been guilty of neglecting coverage of the fundamental components of what LAN ConXions is all about… the hardware behind the scenes. With the recent, massive…
This month I thought that as the theme is the home office, I would discuss the rapidly emerging trend “teleworking” (or “telecommuting”) and it’s effects on the office environment as well as…
Last month we scratched the surface of a very deep topic with an overview of data warehousing and data mining. We will continue this time around with an in depth look at…
Clone vs. Brand Name on the Desktop CEP requires a business case in order to make a educated decision when purchasing new hardware for the desktop. A case may be made for…
Data to Diamonds Last month I took a little holiday from Monitor and am returning this time around with an article addressing the burgeoning interest in the areas of data mining and…
Last month we celebrated our anniversary issue with a retrospective column; temporarily abandoning our discussion on Network Resource Management. This month we will delve into an often unperceived, key aspect of this…
Well, it seems that the year has come and gone more quickly than I imagined possible! As the June issue marked this column’s anniversary and July is the magazine’s, I thought I’d…
Over the past few months we have been discussing the timely subject of network resource management (NRM). This month we will continue our analysis of available tools that address this concern with…
This month I decided that in light of the fact that I was scheduled to attend a conference at IBM’s headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, where I was to observe the latest…
Last month we compared groupware with intranets and touched on the development of Sun Microsystem’s Java. This time around I’d like to delve a little deeper into the subject with a discussion…
Last month we covered fundamental networking concepts and terms and explored the decision process necessary to a initiate a successful LAN implementation. This month we will expand on this knowledge base by…
In response to numerous specific requests for information and the burgeoning interest in the topic, Monitor Magazine has responded with a new monthly feature: Computer Networking. This column will investigate networking fundamentals,…