Archive for October, 2011

Some History Facts on Music Videos



Music videos represent a crucial part of the music industry. Artists owe their careers to music videos as they are being given the chance of impressing the public not just with their vocal talent, but also with their looks or moves.

Thirty years ago, music video used to be less important then it is nowadays. MTV (Music Television) was the phenomenon that gave so much power and importance to the music video. MTV started broadcasting in 1981 in the USA and it marked the beginning of the music video’s ruling over the music industry. The first video ever played on MTV was ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles. As MTV was broadcasting 24-hour-a-day music, music videos were needed to be produced. Consequently, music video began to play an important role in artists’ careers. It is considered that even Madonna’s career has been greatly influenced by her videos that presented a sexy, appealing look of the artist. Some experts say that Madonna has been inspired by the image that the actress Greta Garbo has used in her silent movies. MTV has been highly controversial: some saw as the beginning of an amazing, new, fresh era in music, others considered it to mark the end of true musical talent, as artists have been become more appreciated for their looks instead of their vocal abilities.

Nowadays, the music video is as important as the song itself, sometimes even deciding the success of a song or artist. Collections of music videos are being sold on tapes or DVDs. Music video’s greatest fans are apparently watching them muted just to enjoy their artistic value, as they consider it to be a new form of art. They consider that a music video should be assessed based on its visual qualities and not on the song quality. It seems that the music ‘gurus’, corporate managers, have realised the potential of using female sex-appeal in music videos, therefore this feature is being used excessively as it is more popular for the public.

The birth of the music video has created a new type of directors: video directors. MTV started even listing directors with video credits and this profession has become more and more popular. But it seems that most video directors don’t specialise in this particular art form, they see it as being just a step on the way to directing a movie. Many start directing videos or commercials, hoping to get the recognition to build a name and to direct a movie. It seems that even video directors admit the fact that a music video is secondary to the song itself.

In conclusion, although music video’s fans have tried to elevate this form of entertainment to the title of an art form, the music video is eventually just a work of commerce, destined to sell a product: the song.

Recovering Deleted Digital Photos – How to Recover Deleted Photos From a Chip



If you have managed to delete some important photos of your digital camera or any other type of digital device and are wondering how to get them back, then you’ve come to the right place. Below I will show you how to recover deleted photos from chip, memory cards, SD cards, mobile phones and most other devices that take digital photos. So continue reading below if you are interested in recovering deleted digital photos from your camera or such…

Now first of all i know you will be wondering how exactly is it possible to retrieve photos that you have already deleted, so i will give you a quick explanation. You see the chip you have your photos on, or the memory card, SD card, or whatever type of storage device you have the photos stored on are designed very uniquely.

They do not permanently delete a file once you delete it, instead what happens when you delete a file is that; the space that was occupied by the deleted file gets freed up and listed as new re-usable space. However until that space is overwritten by new files, your old files are still there and can easily be recovered.

Essentially you only have a small window of opportunity to recover your photos though, this is due to the fact that it is only a matter of time before the free space gets used up by you taking new photos or storing new stuff on your device. Therefore if you are serious about recovering deleted digital photos you must act fast and try not to take any new photos or store new media on your drive once you have realised you’ve deleted an important photo.

Now to actually recover the photos you are going to need some good photo recovery software, as windows does not provide any utilities to recover deleted files. Most good photo recovery programs offer a free download which allow you to check to see if your photos are actually recoverable first. If you photos are still there then they will most certainly be retrieved and you will be able to access them again.

So if you were wondering how to recover deleted photos from chip, memory cards or any other type of digital device then stop taking any new photos immediately and download the appropriate software to see if your files are actually recoverable. Most people should be successful in recovering deleted digital photos as these programs have become fairly advanced these days. To check to see if your files are recoverable visit the links below…

Recipe Scrapbook Albums Are Fun



What is your family’s favorite recipe? Where did you get it? Was it something Grandmother learned when she was a young bride? Was it a sushi recipe that won a prize for Uncle Lyle at the state fair?

A recipe scrapbook album would be a wonderful gift for family members. Imagine giving each one a collection of family recipes, each with its own bit of history, in a recipe scrapbook album.

You can make those recipe scrapbook albums following these steps.

Recipe Scrapbook Album Materials

Prepare to make your recipe scrapbook album by assembling the following minimal materials. You may want other things as well, but these 7 are recommended for a complete recipe scrapbook album.

* Family recipes, as many as possible – neatly written or typed

* Photographs of how the recipe looks when ready to serve

* Photographs of the person credited with creation of the recipe

* Notes of things people always say or remember about the recipe

* Scrapbooking paper (acid-free) reminiscent of cooking

* Food preparation stickers and charms

* Recipe “instruction” tags

Themes for Recipe Scrapbook Albums

Your overall theme is for a recipe scrapbook album will, of course, be recipes. In keeping with that theme, each page or section will have a specific theme in the category of recipes.

Browsing through your recipes and photos, look for natural groupings. If there are several recipes from Grandmother, theme a section of your recipe scrapbook album for those. If Uncle Lyle has more recipes than his singular prize-winning sushi, set aside a section for him in your recipe scrapbook album.

Perhaps you will find it easier to divide your recipe scrapbook album into themes such as appetizers, main courses, side dishes, desserts, and beverages. Each of those could be a page or section theme.

Recipe Scrapbook Album Page Layouts

Once you have your themes, you are ready to lay out the pages of your recipe scrapbook albums. There are many approaches to page layout, and you may have one you have used often. Here is one way of doing it.

1. Select the photo(s) to be used on a 2-page spread or single page. If they are colored photos, select scrapbooking paper to complement them. Be sure you use acid-free paper to protect your memories.

2. Lay out your scrapbooking paper to fit the page. Be creative with your paper. Nostalgic kitchen wallpaper is a good choice for old recipes. Italian recipes might find a home on red and white checkered paper reminiscent of a tablecloth. If your recipe scrapbook album includes a recipe for Fish and Chips, you might want scrapbooking paper on that page to look like an old newspaper.

3. Once you have placed your scrapbooking paper, begin to arrange the recipe and accompanying photos. Typed recipe cards are fine, but if your recipes are hand-written by the person who created them, it will give your recipe scrapbook albums a more personal touch.

4. Frame your photos and recipes after they are placed. You can find a wonderful array of frames in scrapbooking supplies stores. Or use your own creativity. If Grandmother always wore an apron when preparing that delicious chocolate cake, create an apron “pocket” of cloth or cardstock. Tuck into it one or more recipes. Another idea is to make fold-open frames for the recipes in your recipe scrapbook album. Simply cut an appropriate size piece of cardstock and fold it in thirds. Adhere the center third to your scrapbook, top it with the recipe, and fold the other two sides shut over it. You might even make the folded card look like cupboard doors.

5. Once your photos and recipes are framed on the page, add a few lines of journaling that capture the family memories associated with the recipe. In my own files, I have a recipe for cookies served by the host the evening my husband and I first knew we would become more than friends. Personal notes about such memories add immensely to recipe scrapbook albums. My mother’s fresh, home-baked bread is remembered as Dad’s favorite base for yellow mustard!

6. When each page layout is completed, each element glued firmly in place, you are ready to add stickers and charms – embellishments. You may use commercially made embellishments for your recipe scrapbook albums, and you may add more intimate touches as well. If Grandmother loved lace, and even crocheted her own, adding a touch of lace to her page will help family members remember that. Since Uncle Lyle always used that bright green “sushi grass” (baran) to separate his sushi, be sure you include a piece of it on the sushi recipe page.

Finally, you may want to leave a few blank pages at the end of your recipe scrapbook albums so that future recipes can be added later.

Recipe scrapbook albums can be made during a prolonged family reunion, giving everyone something to do with their hands while catching up on family news.