Those of you who frequent PSP Updates have known about MyQJ for a while, and many of you have made use of it to contribute your own stories and thoughts about the PSP to the mecha-global blogosphere. But with all the PS3 and Wii madness this weekend, it's a perfect time to announce that MyQJ is now open to all the topics that we cover here at QJ.NET. Got a horror story about standing in line for days waiting for a PS3? Find out some neat trick to do with the Wii? Positive that the Xbox 360 is still the way to go and want to tell everyone why? MyQJ is the place to go!

But what is MyQJ? Pretty much what it sounds like! We've devoted a whole new section of the network to you, our incredible online community, to speak your mind about anything regarding gaming or technology that you can think of. From news, to reviews, to opinions, to releasing your first homebrew program, MyQJ is how you can share your thoughts with the rest of the QJ Community!

So, what's the big deal? MyQJ is a new type of hybrid when it comes to user generated content on the web and giving control to our readers. For one, it is an open blog pertaining to a specific subject - in this case, gaming! Add to that our Jump it Up feature and now you've got a way for readers to rate what they're reading. And then, any popular articles on MyQJ will be copied over to the appropriate QJ news site! Everyone loves to blog, and I'm sure many of you have your own blogs and sites, but it's not always easy to get your word out to the masses. With MyQJ you have the chance to get your thoughts posted on one of the most popular and most visited gaming news sites in the world. Our audience is now your audience!

But what about the other blogs? Those will come in time, but right now MyQJ is in it's beta stage and we need to put it to the test! Will there be bugs? You bet! Will there be things you don't like? We're counting on it! But since it is MyQJ, we want it to be what YOU want, so our maddening methods will change over the weeks as we get more input and find out exactly how you guys think MyQJ should work.

So how does it work, you ask? Pretty simple, really. First, sign up and register to blog on MyQJ (for free, of course). After you've confirmed your registration email, you can head on over to the Publisher Area and start writing! After you've submitted your article, a QJ Content Manager will quickly scan your post to ensure that it displays properly and conforms to the posting guidelines, and before you know it your post will be up on MyQJ! If it gets enough Jumps, it'll then appear on a QJ front page!

Speaking of guidelines, here are the rules you should try to follow to ensure that your article gets posted quickly:

1. No profanity, racism, pornography, vulgar, or other incendiary content
   
2. No illegal links, subject matter, downloads, or plagiarized material
   
3. Body text must be 75 words or more
   
4. Article must be readable (spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization)
   
5. Article Content must be accurate to the best of your knowledge
   
6. Source link must be accurate to the best of your knowledge
   
7. Article Content must be applicable for the Blog(s) you submitted it to
   
8. If the article has a related download that is to be obtained through the source link, the download must be readily available without the need to register at another site, or perform any other actions to gain access to the download.
9. Don't spam! Please make worthwhile submissions! :)
10. Please check for duplicate stories before posting

Undoubtedly, you have questions! Not only on how things work on MyQJ, but how to use the Publisher interface and make the best articles possible! Given that we're still in beta form and things will change quickly over the coming weeks, there isn't any documentation available yet, but we do have a MyQJ Help Forum to answer any questions you might have! And our faithful QJ blogger Pranav T. has already created a short primer to help get you started! And look forward to regular tutorials on how to do things like insert hyperlinks, place images, or drop a YouTube video in. Until then, tinker to your heart's content!

It goes without saying, but even though QJ Staff will be manually scanning what goes on MyQJ, it is all about user submitted content, so who knows what will end up there. Just because something is posted on MyQJ does not mean that QJ.NET endorses the content - so user beware! This also goes for any linked downloads - if it doesn't come from DL.QJ.NET, use at your own risk!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start blogging! And remember, MyQJ is your QJ! It is what you make it, so make it the best it can be!

"Project: Photoshop and Lightroom reaffirms Adobe's commitment to photography and photographic education," said Julieanne Kost, senior evangelist at Adobe. "This program enables students and educators to experience the Lightroom beta first hand, get in-depth training on Photoshop as well as serve as a conduit from which they can freely share their work, ideas and tips through a dynamic online community."

There will be a two-day seminar at each venue with world-renowned documentary photographer and four-time Picture of the Year Award winner Colin Finlay taking participants under his wing. He will share some tidbits of his career as a photographer, while Julianne Kost will take the wheel on the second day, briefing students on how to use Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Lightroom beta. A selected group of students will be chosen to join Finlay in a workshop assignment. Students will place images from this assignment into a portfolio which will be uploaded to the Web site for sharing with the extended community.

Adobe Lightroom, available in public beta for both Windows® and Macintosh platforms.

Schedule:

Sept. 5-6, Lansing Community College, Lansing, Mich.
Sept. 7-8, Tyler Junior College, Tyler, Texas Sept. 11-12, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, Calif.
Sept. 13-14, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, Calif.
Sept. 15-16, Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Sept. 18-19, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, Calif.
Sept. 20-21, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, Calif.
Sept. 26-27, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y.
Sept. 28-29, Syracuse University, The Newhouse School of Communications, Syracuse, N.Y.
Oct. 5-6, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Oct. 9-10, Antonelli Institute, near Philadelphia, Pa.
Oct 11-12, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M.
Oct. 16-17, Art Institute of Colorado, Denver, Colo.
Oct. 18-19, Brigham Young University, Salt Lake City, Utah Oct 23-24, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City, N.Y.
Oct. 27, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, New York City, N.Y.
Oct. 28, Parsons - The New School for Design, New York City, N.Y.
Nov. 6-7, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga.
Nov 15-16, Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
Nov. 27-28, New England School of Photography, Boston, Mass.
Nov. 29-30, Hallmark Institute of Photography, Turner's Falls, Mass.
Dec 4 - 5, Art Institute of Seattle, Seattle, Wash.
Dec 7 - 8, School of Visual Arts, New York City, New York

Bryce 5, a 3D design app which specializes in modeling landscapes and animations costs about $70 to buy, but for a limited time (until September 6th), you can get this piece of software for free. All you have to do to get this is to head over to the Bryce 5 site which offers download links for either the Mac or PC version. Although it states that the program will not run under Mac OSX Tiger, David Chartier has tested it and it does work.

Once you have the download sorted out, the first time you start Bryce 5 it will prompt you to log in and register the application for free at their site. You'll probably have to create a new, free account but once you're logged in the registration link Bryce gives you will create your extra-lengthy registration code. That's how simple it is to get your $70 application for free! Just make sure you do it before the deadline of September 6th.

Mitsubishi breaks the glass ceiling with its new deblurring technology, "flutter shutter". Taking image developing to greater heights, this technology deals head on with motion blur problems. The "flutter shutter" is actually an attachment on the actual camera, which uses a coded exposure sequence to cut a normal exposure into short burst. The processing software is then able to sharpen any fast moving objects in the picture. Ramesh Raskar, Senior research scientist, described the method as something akin to a UV filter or a polarizing filter.

Though the prototype is based on an 8 megapixel Canon PowerShot Pro1, the method can be applied to any camera, and could even be developed to work as a built-in feature on a consumer camera later on.  For now, the "flutter shutter" technology is most apt for security cameras, as it can help decipher blurry license plates.

!!!PRESSRELEASE!!!A few days ago, we featured Nikon's Coolpix S9. And just when you were so ready to step out of the door to buy one, we might as well up the ante and give you more options! I mean, isn't that what consumerism entails? Having the power to choose? Well, now. Alongside the Coolpix S9, Nikon has also released four other camera models (clockwise from top-left): L6, L5, S7c and S10.

First we have the L6: It's looks like the least exciting in the batch, but what this camera has to boast (aside from your usual basic functions: 6 megapixel, 2.5-inch display) is that it can take 1000 shots with just two AA lithium Energizers.

The L5 is your typical point-and-click digicam and has all the regular features you could expect. Don't be misled with the name of the camera. It's not 5 megapixels, but 7! It's named so because it has a 5x optical zoom. That's where the "5" comes from. There's a 2.5-inch LCD screen and it allows VGA recording.

Then we have the S10. As with the L5, don't be misled by the "10". It's not 10 megapixels but has a 10x optical zoom. The screen is 2.5 inches, and has a maximum ISO of 800. This became possible due to the unique design of swivel of lenses from other Nikon camera models.

And finally, Coolpix S7c. And this time, as the name suggests, it's 7 megapixels (7.1, to be exact). It has a 3-inch LCD screen and, as with the Coolpix P3, also has WiFi capabilities. Yes, that allows you to send up your pics to the net, or even through email. This camera also has a 30fps VGA camera that records with sound.

If you're reading this then chances are that you're into photography. This is the QJ photography blog after all. With that said, perhaps you may find this little how-to interesting.

Jay Bedingfield posted this little tut on making a homemade muslin photography background on DIYPhotograpy.net. Muslin is a type of finely-woven cotton fabric and is often the cloth of choice for theater sets. With the right colors, it can be used to set the mood of any number of scenes, and with the right lighting, a backdrop of a backdrop painted on muslin can appear or vanish, allowing a set to be transformed almost instantaneously from one setting to another.

Nifty, eh? Y'know, looking at the finished product (see pic on top), we think that even if you're not gonna use it for photography or anything of that sort, it would still make a rather good curtain. Oh, and you can also use pretty much the same technique in making tie-dyed shirts.

For the complete set of instructions over at DIYPhotography.net, click on the 'read' link below.

For everyone who likes to take photos, we all know how lighting can either make or break a picture. Either there's not enough light or there's too much. Either you can't see your subject or... you can't see your subject since it's been taken over the sheer brightness of everything.

So, for cases like these, we need proper lighting paraphernalia. Unfortunately, the said paraphernalia are not exactly cheap, so let's just make one! Using good, thick cardboard, a pair of scissors, some glue, and bits of Velcro and silk, we can all make our own soft box.

For the uninitiated, a soft box is an accessory whose purpose is to properly diffuse light on your subject. This way, your subject still remains well-lighted without having to appear so harsh in your photos.

Over at diyphotography.net are complete directions on how to create the soft box, as well as a pattern that you can download and print out so that you can use it as a guide once you get to making your own. Once you've made one, you can then easily mount it on your camera-flash for those professional-looking shots.

Click on Read for the DIY directions.

So here's the situation.

Your really hot pen-pal in Europe has finally sent his or her picture to you and is now asking you to send one of your own as well. Knowing that that old prom pic just won't do, you take your digicam and pose as only a model would, then you download all the shots into your computer. Just as you were about to send off those pictures, something catches your eye: the lack of a hairline.

In the words of Douglas Adams: Don't Panic!

That's because David Nigel has prepared a step-by-step tutorial to help those in a... not-so-hairy situation. By creating a simple custom brush in Photoshop 7, which is pretty much composed of a few squiggly lines, one can create convincing hair and fur effects for those emergency touch-ups. He has also included directions and tips on how to blend the effect with your photo to make it look as convincing and as real as possible.

So, with that problem out of the way, things should be fine. Well, at least until the time that you and your pen-pal decide to meet up, that is.

Click on Read for the step-by-step procedures.

We reported about the Chinese version of Canon's 10.1 megapixel EOS Digital Rebel XTi SLR camera a few days ago, and today we have the real thing. This is Canon's follow-up to the ultra-successful Digital Rebel XT, the camera that set all time sales records for digital SLRs of any persuasion. For 16 years, the Rebel brand has stood for advanced, sophisticated and easy-to-use, and it looks like the new Digital Rebel XTi isn't going to let the family down.

Features include a 2.5-inch LCD which improves on the Xt's 1.8-inch screen, 9-point autofocus, and a 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor. At 22.2 x 14.8 mm in size, this new CMOS sensor maintains the 1.6x conversion ratio found on many other members of the EOS Digital SLR line including the Rebel XT and the EOS 30D models.

The EOS Digital Rebel XTi comes with the new Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit that shakes off dust using ultrasonic vibration. It also has a Dust Delete Data feature that embeds dust location in metadata, helping the included Digital Photo Professional software delete dust spots automatically.

The EOS Digital Rebel XTi camera will be in stores by mid-September and will be available in both sleek brushed silver patina and "pro" matte black finishes. Retail price for the body only kit is estimated at $799, while the zoom lens kit (which includes Canon's EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens) will carry an estimated price tag of $899.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to QJ.NET every day in search of the latest gaming news for your favorite consoles! No where else will you find a website more frequently updated with the latest PSP Updates, Xbox 360 screenshots, Nintendo DS news, MMORPG musings, breaking PS3 ponderings, and the latest word about the Wii. But let's face it - there's more to life than just video games!

Our goal here at QJ.NET is to provide you with up to the minute news and information on a variety of topics that might interest or entertain our readers - so here's your chance to get introduced to some of our newest blogs that you might not know about yet. So branch out with us and let us show you what you've been missing! Who knows, you might even learn something!

They're quirky, they're handy, they're revolutionary - and sometimes you just have no idea what they are. Everyone loves Gadgets, so everyone should love the new QJ.NET Gadget Blog!

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Aside from taking the world by storm, what has Steve and Co. been up to lately? Check out our Apple Blog to get the latest on the iPod, MacBook, and the latest love affair between Apple and Intel!

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  The line between Laptops, Cellphones, and PDA's is quickly dissolving. You can keep up on all the latest technology to keep you on the go at our brand new Mobile Blog!

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Shutterbugs unite! The Photography Blog is THE place to not only find out about the latest cameras, but to learn how to take the best pictures you can! Or, you can just enjoy the fantastic work of other photographers!

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We've saved the best for last - I love our new Science Blog! Check out the latest scientific discoveries here on Earth and beyond. You can't branch out any further than the final frontier!

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We hope you will take a moment to explore all that QJ.NET has to offer, I'm almost positive you'll find something that'll keep you coming back - if so, remember to bookmark it, or you can always find the list of QJ.NET Blogs in the middle sidebar to the right. You can also take a look at our Blog of Blogs which contains every piece of news covered in all our blogs - there's guaranteed to be something new to read every time you visit! And we aren't stopping here - keep your eyes peeled for even more blogs that are in the works and on the way - not to mention our constant efforts to improve your experience here at QJ.NET!

Got a suggestion for a new blog? Be sure to let us know about it!