Quoted: FThe success of such destinations as Club Penguin and Webkinz has paved the way for an explosion of new sites for children. As of last month, more than 100 new virtual worlds had started up or were in development, according to Virtual Worlds Management, a trade group based in Austin, Tex.

Many sites such as Empire of Sports, Planet Cazmo and Xivio are aimed at so-called tweens, ages 8 to 12. For those who have outgrown Club Penguin but who are too young for MySpace, the sites offer a hybrid of a games site and a social network. This year, more than 12 million children nationwide under the age of 18 will visit at least one of these sites, and that number will grow to 20 million by 2011, according to the research firm eMarketer (which didn’t estimate how many children would pretend to be French single mothers).

Quoted: jigsaw puzzle furniture

Capture NX is the raw NEF management program from Nikon

Quoted: A first course in Nikon's Capture NX and other Digital Photography information

Quoted: Markins Q3 Emille is a triumph of compact design and precision engineering. Its distinctive bell shaped design (patented) is inspired by the legendary Emille Bell. The compactness and light weight of Q3 Emille is ideal to match with a light-weighted tripod such as Gitzo series-1 or smaller tripods. It is strong enough to support small SLR cameras such as Nikon D70 or Canon 20D with mid-sized zoom lens such as 70-200mm/f2.8.

Quoted: Really Right Stuff: your camera support experts. We design, build, aquire and sell the very best tripods, ballheads, quick-release clamps, and quick-release plates available anywhere. From the casual weekend shooter to the most demanding professional, discriminating photographers in over 80 countries around the globe rely on the experts at Really Right Stuff for all their camera support gear. Our quick-release system makes setup faster and easier, and better stability means better results. Visit us online at http://reallyrightstuff.com.

Quoted: Serious photographers around the world recognize the performance advantages that Kirk products deliver in the studio, and in the field. Kirk Quick Release equipment lets you easily switch cameras and/or lenses when seconds can make the difference between getting the shot and missing an opportunity. Kirk also offers a complete line of exclusive camera mounts, flash brackets, custom and modified tripods, precision tripod heads, adapters, books, videos, accessories and much more.

Thom Hogan (http://bythom.com/support.htm) writes about this ballhead:

"A strange looking head, but it is light (1 pound) and works quite well. I especially like the fact that I can keep the ball clean while traveling in hostile environments. Strongly consider getting the rubber knobs (an extra cost option), as the metal knobs are rough on the hand when you do a lot of fiddling."

Quoted: Metal & Plastic Business Cards

Quoted: What you need to know about tripods and heads.