the scoop

the scoop

online image editing

While the Internet has become an accepted place to store digital photos, image editing has remained the domain of hard drive-based computer applications. Picnik (http://www.picnik.com), however, could change that. The Web-based photo editor offers users everything they’ll need to fine-tune their images quickly and intuitively. With its user-friendly interface and solid selection of customization tools, Picnik is a pleasure to use. Its slider-based controls let you easily manipulate things such as exposure, color saturation and sharpness. You can also apply custom effects including sepia tones, soft focus and more, plus add shapes, text, even your own doodles.

Many of these tools are available in hard drive-based photo editing applications, but they cost money to buy. Picnik is free, and available as long as you have a fast Internet connection. Picnik’s flexibility is another one of its strengths. The online application can not only import photos from your computer but also from photo-sharing sites such as Flickr and Picasa; Facebook galleries or anywhere on the ‘Net. Be aware, however, that you’ll need a little horsepower to keep Picnik running smoothly. The application requires your computer to have at least 512 MB of RAM — not really an issue for newer computers, but older machines may fall short. Also, you’ll need the Adobe Flash 9 plug-in installed in your browser.

an uneven
‘game party’

Not since the days of “Baseball” and “Tennis” on the original Nintendo has a game been so lackadaisically named as “Game Party” (from Midway, for Wii; rating: E) On the other hand, the cover art is pretty nice. So is the $20 price tag. Such is the running theme with “Party,” a modest compilation of parlor games that constantly makes you take the good with the bad. “Party” features seven games: darts, air hockey, skee-ball, hoop shot, beer pong (called ping cup to protect the children), table shuffleboard and trivia. All essentially are what you expect them to be, and you generally can predict how the Wiimote controls work in each. Problem is, for some reason, not all games click the same way. The throw motion in darts is fundamentally similar to the motions in hoop shot and skee-ball, but for whatever reason, it’s significantly more intuitive in darts. Where darts seems to adjust to different players’ release timing, skee-ball and hoop shot do not, resulting in a truckload of non-throws and wildly missed shots in each. Beer pong raises similar issues, but they’re easier to mitigate once you master that game’s distinct timing. Beyond darts, the stars of “Party” are air hockey and trivia. The sideways camera angle in air hockey takes getting used to, and it’s a shame the game doesn’t switch to a behind-the-back perspective when you’re playing solo. But it works pretty intuitively, and the ability to lift your mallet and trap the puck, a la real air hockey, is a nice touch. Trivia is exactly what it sounds like, but the diversity of questions and a cool interface make it a far more polished throw-in than one might expect. Spinning the virtual category wheel is stupidly fun, too.

—Billy O’Keefe, McClatchy-Tribune

moving messenger

Here’s a great splurge item that you can add to your wishlist. The Zipit Wireless Messenger 2 (Z2) lets you IM your friends without being chained to the family computer. At $149.99, it’s the same price as a new iPod, and this device is just as portable. Access any open WiFi network to log onto your AOL/AIM, Yahoo or MSN IM accounts and chat away. You can have multiple, simultaneous conversations, play music or view photos on its full-color display (add a miniSD card to up your memory). Read more and place your order at www.zipitwireless.com

‘queen geek’ connection

It was the first day of break, and I was curled up in my bed in a mass of blankets with a mug of hot cocoa. I was too cozy to get up so I grabbed “The Queen Geek Social Club” (Penguin, 336 pages, $9.99) that was sitting on my nightstand. As I made my way through the first couple of pages, I found myself unable to set this book down. As each chapter ended with an unanswered question, I just had to turn the page and begin the next chapter, which was filled with even more teen angst, new love correlations and ongoing drama. “The Queen Geek Social Club” pulls you in through Shelby Chappelle’s quirky inner thoughts, crazy friends, bizarre home life and unpredictable actions. Author Laura Preble included great detail and commentary along with the plot. What makes this book even more enjoyable is that as a teenage girl I was able to connect with the characters and their problems. Preble was able to take the average problems teenage girls face and make then fascinating.

—Laura Peterson, St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, Mo.

jerry’s kids

Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer is best known for movies in which lots of stuff explodes — movies like “Armageddon,” “Con Air” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy. So when he announced that he was opening a video-game studio, most industry watchers wondered: What took you so long? “Video games represent a new and innovative medium for what we’ve always tried to do, which is to tell great stories,” Bruckheimer said. The studio is being created with MTV Games, which has finally made its presence felt in the industry this year with “Rock Band.” Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks’ Music & Logo Group, said, “There’s a huge intersection between the fans of Bruckheimer films, our audience and gamers, making the potential for this partnership to be as explosive as one of his blockbuster films.”