Best Digital Camera Ever - Fuji Finepix S1600

I don't even know where to begin, because there are so many reasons you should buy this camera right now, either for yourself or as a gift. But there are two things you should know: 1) I don't write product reviews, and 2) I spent a lot of time comparing features and prices before buying this camera. It has impressed me so much that I genuinely want to tell you about it.

The Fuji FinePix S1600 Digital Camera is the most amazing digital camera you'll ever get for a couple hundred bucks. It has features found in professional SLR (single lens reflex) cameras costing thousands, yet an amateur like myself can turn it on and start taking pictures. (Other cameras at this price have none of these features.)



This camera is perfect for beginners not only for the price, but for the simplicity. The Fuji S1600 is like a photography course in the palm of your hand. I just wanted a decent camera and ended up with a powerhouse that makes photography really fascinating.

You can use the point-and-shoot mode if that's all you need, but if you mess around with other settings you can learn tons about photography without even trying. As you explore various settings you'll discover fun things to try. Of course the manual explains everything in detail, but if you're like me then much of the language is meaningless until you start taking pictures and see the results. Then you'll be stunned to realize what you're holding.



Here's the deal:
- standard point-and-shoot mode
- 12.2 megapixels, giant 3" display
- panorama mode, dual image stabilizer, tripod mount
- face detection, blink detection, red eye removal
- "micro" mode lets you take clear pictures as little as 2cm away
- true HD video with sound (choose from 1280, 640, or 320)
- true 15x optical zoom for amazing close-ups
    (avoid "digital zoom" - that just stretches your picture)
- shutter speed up to 8 seconds (take pics in total darkness)
- 16 automatic modes for situations like night, snow, fireworks, etc.
- if you dare: full control of shutter speed, aperture, white balance...
- use any SD or SDHC card
- software for Windows 7, Vista, and XP

I'm going to stop talking now because this could go on forever. This is the most brilliant camera under $1000, period. If you need a camera for yourself or a gift for someone else, this is it.

You can get the Fuji FinePix S1600 Digital Camera at Tiger Direct dirt cheap. Shipping is normally 2-3 days.

URL Expander Add-on For Firefox

We all know that the shortened URLs found on Twitter and other sites can sometimes lead to malware, spamware, trojan, and hacking sites. Most of the time it is intentional, but it can also be accidental. By way of example, an official city tourism site that I follow on Twitter recently posted a bit.ly link that took me to a porn site! They were stunned when I brought it to their attention, and thanked me profusely.

I've always felt that posting links on Twitter and blogs is very helpful, and try to do it often for my followers. Knowing the risks of shortened URLs, I actually make special efforts to post links that I can embed directly without having to shorten. I want my readers to see clearly exactly where any click will take them. Of course the problem is sometimes I want to link to something with a web address that's a mile long. Blog posts are definitely annoying to link to. Most blog platforms turn the entire blog title into the corresponding URL for that post, resulting in extremely long addresses full of dashes, and sometimes adding the date to make it even longer.

There isn't really a solution to the underlying problem - some sites have short URLs and some have long ones. The best you can do is protect yourself when clicking on someone else's link.

Thus I recently installed a Firefox add-on called Long URL Please. It automatically reveals all shortened URLs on every web page, with no need to do anything. It works with all the typical shortener services. Some comments from users on the Firefox plug-in site mention slow load times and system hangs, but I haven't encountered either in the week I've been using it. It works fine, and has removed any concerns I used to have about shortened and masked links. I can finally tell which links go to affiliate sales pitches and which ones go to news stories and blogs, it's fantastic.

I recommend it or a similar add-on to make your online travels safer. (... and I naturally assume you are using Firefox in the first place!)