New Technology : How Does Autofocus Actually Work?

autofocus

Autofocus is a feature of modern cameras that’s easy to take for granted. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself how it works? Focusing a manual lens can be a painstaking and frustrating process, especially for amateurs — so how does your smartphone do it so easily? It turns out that that there are actually several technologies that are used to achieve an autofocus effect. Let’s start by explaining what focus is, and then how the computer in your phone can manipulate it to get a sharp image. How Focus Works The lens in your smartphone camera serves the same purpose as...

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New Technology : 10 Books You Need to Read After Watching The Avengers: Age of Ultron

avengers-books

The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the 2015 movie sequel to the hit 2012 original, was a huge success – if not critically, then definitely financially. If you, like me, thought it was better than our decidedly average review, you’ll want to immerse yourself in the world of your favorite comic book characters. But where to start? These wonderful tales from across the Marvel Universe (MU) – with a few extra reads thrown in for good measure – are your next step, whether you want physical copies or digital downloads. Avengers: Rage of Ultron This original graphic novel is the most...

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New Technology : 10 Websites for Finding Free Photoshop Textures

photoshop-textures

Texture is one of those things that you have to feel — or in the case of images, see. Combining textures with regular photos is one of the more creative ways to give an ethereal quality to photographs. Use the right texture and a common photo becomes “ghostly”. Use another and you can add extra drama to a portrait that you wanted to junk. Are the photos you take frustratingly one-dimensional? That’s where Photoshop comes in. Add a layer of texture and voila – you can almost fool the eye into seeing some depth. Using Textures in Photoshop Textures are used...

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New Technology : Jam-Packed JavaScript Bundle – Learn JavaScript for Only $39

jampacked java

Have you always thought that learning JavaScript could be something that would be useful for your work or personal life? Intensive courses in JavaScript cost a lot of money, right? Wrong! With MakeUseOf Deals, you can grab a massive bundle of JavaScript courses for only $39. The normal price of these classes would be $474, but you can save 91% off through MakeUseOf Deals for a limited time. Don’t wait, though, because this deal ends soon. Buy: Jam-Packed JavaScript Bundle The Courses In total, you’re going to get 7 indispensable courses that will teach you everything you need to know about JavaScript....

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New Technology : 4 Influential People Who Don’t Use Email, And Why

influential-people-who-do-not-use-email

It’s difficult to imagine a life without email, but some people are choosing to stop using it altogether. People like film director Christopher Nolan and billionaire John Paul Dejoria don’t use email at all, and couldn’t be happier about that. While you can employ strategies to avoid email overload, at some point or the other, you will probably face an intimidating number of messages in your inbox. And with new communication systems like social networks, instant messengers, and team-oriented chatrooms, there is a case to be made to dump email once and for all. As with many things in life,...

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New Technology : Battle of the Selfie Sticks [Round-Up Review and Giveaway]

selfie-sticks

Selfie sticks are big news at the moment. A week can’t go by without some event, institution, or theme park banning their elongated and wavy presence. Despite this, selfie sticks are as popular as ever. The success of selfie sticks is really just the natural evolution from smartphone front cameras. The only thing better than a selfie with one person, is a selfie with five people and the entire background. Whether everyone likes it or not, selfie sticks are here to stay. It’ll be impossible to ban them everywhere. Even with all the hate they get online, no one cares...

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New Technology : 8+ Nifty Apps That Make Changing Habits Actually Fun

change-habit-apps

HabitRPG has earned itself a lot of credit over the past few years, becoming the #1 app that most people think about when it comes to building and breaking habits. And while it’s extremely effective for some people, it’s not the best app for every situation. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve found that different habits need to be tackled in different ways. For example, the Pomodoro technique helps me when I need to study, but not when I’m trying to kick an addiction. As such, it seems more prudent to use a tailor-fitted solution when one is available. Building...

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New Technology : Twitter Wishes You Happy Birthday, Reddit Admits It Screwed Up, & More… [Tech News Digest]

happy-birthday-balloon

Twitter brings balloons, Reddit retaliates, the Story Mode of Minecraft, a free anti-NSA font, PewDiePie’s millions, and the Fresh Prince discovers GTA V. Twitter Wants to Knows Your Birthday Party on! Share your birthday celebration by adding your birth date to your Twitter profile: https://t.co/rTSktq9FMm http://pic.twitter.com/lTFnIZHJbK — Twitter (@twitter) July 6, 2015 Twitter really wants to know when your birthday is. Why? Because it wants to help you celebrate the annual anniversary of your birth with your followers, of course. Your reward for divulging this information to Twitter and the wider world is virtual balloons filling your profile come cake...

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New Technology : So, You Want to be a Graphic Designer?

GraphicDesignToolsFeat

Do you want to be a graphic designer? Designing images can be quite the rewarding career, as it gives you a chance to flex those creative muscles and make something you can show off to the world. Of course, it’s not a job you can just jump into, and you need some training and skills in order to actually be successful. You also need some tools. Every graphics designer has their kit of things they need to be successful at work. Whether it’s their phone, computer, or software, there are a few things they all require. Also, as it turns...

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New Technology : Is Nicolas Cage Immortal? Celebrity Lookalikes Too Good To Be True

nicolas-cage-immortal

Is Nicholas Cage immortal? Could Keanu Reeves be a vampire? Does Hillary Clinton have a clone? Clearly, the answer to these questions is “No”, but they’re so intriguing that we’re duty bound to look at them in more detail. Where did these claims come from? And how have they managed to spread so far and wide around the Internet? A Duplicate is NOT a Lookalike Before proceeding, it is important to underline a key difference here. Although the people we’re talking about are undoubtedly nothing more than lookalikes, they’re not actual professional lookalikes. That is to say, they’re not on...

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