The 2008 PDN PhotoPlus Conference + Expo is coming up this week at the Javits Center in New York City.  With hundreds of exhibitors and around 100 seminars in the conference portion PhotoPlus is one of the leading shows in the industry and this weeks Linking the Week site.

I will be attending PhotoPlus this year for my first time and am looking forward to the conference, expo as well as meeting up with people who I have meet in the past.  If you will be attending let me know and we can try to meet up during the length of the expo.  See you in NYC.

Now that you have a website it is nice to know some information about the site, and Quarkbase the linking the site for this week helps you with retrieve this information.  Providing an overall view from over thirty different sources Quarkbase gives you a snapshot of your website or any other website you are viewing.

How does this help you with your website?  By providing the information of how your website is seen by this automated tool and the algoritms it uses, you can focus your efforts on areas which need improving as well as adding new content which will give you an edge in the competitive online world.  As Quarkbase is an automated tool it should not be the only item you use to help you increase your onlne prescense, but it should be included in your toolkit.

Earlier this year I talked about a couple of people who I know impacted by brain tumors, and the work of the National Brain Tumor Foundation.  While I talked about Venu and Christina in that post, I also keep hearing of more people being diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Just a couple of weeks ago, my parents mentioned to me someone down the block from where they live was just found to have a brain tumor.  This follows another neighbor in the cul-de-sac where my parents live passing from a tumor not that many years ago.  I am sure as you are reading this you can think of someone you know who has been impacted as well.

The brain is a delicate organ in our body and research becomes expensive in order to prevent these tumors from happening and also to learn more about how to treat them.  In an effort to help with this effort the National Brain Tumor Foundation and Brain Tumor Society have merged to becoming more effective in helping patients and providing money for research.

One of the events which takes place each year is the Brain Tumor Walk and Angel Adventure in various cities.  In a couple of weeks it will be taking place in Phoenix where my friend Jason will be walking not only in memory of his wife Christina this year, but also Christina’s father who passed from a tumor just a few months ago.  If you wish to sponsor his walk you may do so on his walk page, or you may support NBTF directly from their website as well.

Learn more about Venu and Christina in my prior NBTF post.

This weeks linking the site may be a flashback to the days of cracker jacks for you, as Panamap builds on a technique which could be find in one of the prizes.  You may recall when you would get cracker jacks there would be a prize, of course over the years the quality of the prizes diminished but one of the items which I recall was a little piece of paperboard which when you moved it would change what it showed.  Panamap is basically the same premise, a map which by shifting it a little bit will change to a different view.

At this time, there are only two maps available in the Panamap format.  These maps of New York and Chicago show you the street map, subway /"L" system , as well as the neighborhoods and landmarks in each city.  An example of how Panamap works may be found on their website.

Using technology to help elminate the needs for additional maps and making them less confusing could be interesting moving forward.  One question I have is how well will they hold up to wear and tears as well as the ability to throw them in a pocket to look less obvious.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is the focus this week as we link the week with The Lightroom Lab .  The Lightroom Lab is a new website started by photographer and digital guru Scott Rouse.  On the website you will find tips, tricks, tutorials, videos, and discussions about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom .

In talking to Scott last week about his new venture he mentioned that we should be on the lookout for some interesting articles in the upcoming weeks covering the following topics:

• Backing up and external storage
• Multiple monitor support
• Where the heck are my images
• "Don’t be a Lightroom victim"

Additionally, The Lightroom Lab will be highlighting the main features of the program as well as some of the lesser used tools.  As someone who has been using Lightroom for over the past year having these items presented will be helpful to ensure I am using Lightroom to the full extent which will benefit my workflow.

Besides providing tips and tricks, The Lightroom Lab will be profiling how specific photographers (amateur and pro) use Lightroom in their workflow as well as any tips or tricks they may have to offer.  If this is something you are interested in being a part and would like to contribute contact The Lightroom Lab using the Become a Lightroom Lab Contributor page.  By becoming a contributor you not only get to share your knowledge with others, but also get to advertise your website with a linkback.

Let us know what you think of The Lightroom Lab, and check back next week for another Linking the Week site.

With the price at the pump quite high the past few months across the United States, many people have been driving less and finding out how easy it is to walk in their neighborhood.  As walkability becomes a buzzword, the website Walk Score is getting more attention and is this weeks linking the week site.

The premise of walkability is quite simple, the algorithm takes your location and finds how far you how from the closest amenities.  Items within a 1/4 mile receive the highest points and those over one mile away receive no points.  The items which are considered amenities include the grocery store, bookstores, bars, restaurants, libraries, schools, parks, fitness and many more.

As the formula is based on an algorithm there are some items which are not included as part of your walkability score.  These include the street width, safe crossings, weather, safety and public transit.  Another item which is not included is topography which shows in the results for San Francisco.  Overall San Francisco ranks higher than New York City, however the topography in the areas are quite different with San Francisco having a few hills.

As I was checking out the site I decided to see how locations I have lived in the past ranked and found the following results:

• Current location – 88 (very walkable)
• Prior Colorado location – 74 (very walkable)
• Apartment in college (Tucson) – 57 (somewhat walkable)
• San Diego, CA – 26 (car dependent)
• Oak Park, IL – 65 (somewhat walkable)

The website also shows the most walkable cities , and by clicking on the city name you can find the rankings within the city itself.  In Denver the top three areas are Lodo, Golden Triangle and Capitol Hill, with Gateway/Green Valley on the way to the airport ranking the lowest.

Be sure to check out the website to find your score, and leave a comment on this blog letting us know the walkability of your location.

Linking the week for this week introduces a new word for many, Humanitourism.  What exactly is Humanitoursim?  It is travel which combines humanitarian projects along with adventure tours designed to create longer term relationships between travelers and communities.  One such organization which leads these types of tours is inside/out .

After signing up for a trip with the inside/out participants are sent to destinations around the world to work on humanitarian projects that have been largely overlooked or under served. Following this rewarding volunteer work, the travelers are treated to a guided multi-sport adventure local to the area served. The goal is to create a more intimate experience with the local culture and land so that travelers return home with more than just photos and memories, rather with a real connection to the people and places they have visited.

In the upcoming months, inside/out will be featuring a trip to Greece where they will work to make a difference for dogs with helping in the construction of much needed shelter facilities in Patras.  Over New Years a trip to Guatemala and the city of Panajachel where after three years since Hurricane Stan passed over the area is still in need of rebuilding.

Check out the inside/out website and learn more about Humanitourism.

With the Democratic National Convention this week in Denver, and the Republican National Convention next week in St. Paul the presidential election season is officially in motion.  While the candidates from the two major parties along with the other candidates gear up for election day on November 4th, citizens of the United States also have a responsibility to ensure they are registered to vote.  To help with this, the linking the week site for this week is Vote411.org .

Maintained by the League of Women Votes Education Fund , Vote 411 is a site which provides non-partisan information to give you the information you need to know about voting in your state.  Be sure to check out Vote 411 now to find the deadline if you need to register to vote, the types of voting machine in your area and the many other details which will help you with election season.  Also be sure to visit the site in the upcoming weeks as candidate information along with polling places will be updated as we get closer to election day.

The Linking the Site this week is the Something Store .  For $10 they will ship you "something" from what they have in stock, and you find out what it is once it arrives.  If you live in the United States the $10 cost per items includes shipping, otherwise it does cost a bit more for shipping into Canada ($4.75) or elsewhere ($8.75).  However you may order multiple "somethings" at just $10 more without the additional fee.

On their website they highlight some of the items recently sent out to customers which are the better things for the day.  I did try this last month and I won’t spoil the surprise by saying what I received, but needless to say I don’t think I will try again unless it is for a special occasion.  However try it yourself and see what you get at the front door, and if you do and tell me what you received I will share as well.

The Perseid Meteor Shower takes the Linking the Week post for this week.  An annual occurance each August as the earth passes through the debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet , viewers are treated to a meteor shower.

In 2008 the peak will be the morning of August 12th.  On this day the moon will set around 1:30am local time giving a few hours of darkness.  For those in the United States the western part of the country will have the best timing for the event this year, however it will be visible in all parts of the country.  Of course be sure to get away from city lights to have the best viewing conditions.

While the peak will be on August 12th, it will continue to be an event for the next week or so.  Just keep in mind the full moon will rise this coming weekend bringing additional light to the sky.  I won’t be able to make it out this year for the event, but I will interested in hearing from people who were able to see the event this year.