Jewish World Review Dec. 13, 2002 / 8 Teves 5763
By Mark Kellner
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
The marriage of personal computers with the hobby of stamp collecting has
been interesting. For years, collectors have had various database programs,
spreadsheet templates and other systems to build "want lists" of needed
items, figure out how much their collections are worth, and even design and
print album pages for their holdings. Using a PC can add even more fun to a
hobby whose fans have included Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Gerald
R. Ford.
At philately's apex, in the U.S. at least, is Scott Publishing Co. of
Sidney, Ohio, (www.scottonline.com) whose "Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue"
has tracked every valid postage stamp issued globally for 135 years. The
catalogue now spans six general volumes covering the U.S., Canada and the
world, as well as a "specialized" U.S. volume that truly goes in depth to
examine the various characteristics of the 155-year American tradition of
issuing adhesive postage. (There's also now a "classic specialized" volume
for stamps of the world from 1840 to 1940, but unlike its peers, it is
released in a print version only.)
Most of the Scott catalogues are available on CD-ROM, and represent, I
believe, an excellent value and a great reference tool. The CD sets (four CD
discs are required for most of the volumes) are $44.99 each, the same price
as the print catalogue, but here the differences end. The printed
catalogue's illustrations are black-and-white. But the CD version features
color illustrations for almost every stamp - the firm has been assiduously
scanning images of real stamps to upgrade its print and electronic products
- and you can view each catalogue volume's countries individually and
directly: if you're a fan of stamps from the British Isles, the second CD in
the Scott Volume 3 set is all you need.
Using Adobe's Acrobat Reader software, you can zip through the text and
illustrations quickly and easily; the discs work on both Windows and
Macintosh systems. I can only imagine what fun it would be taking a relevant
catalogue file on a Tablet PC to an auction or stamp show and do some quick
searching while shopping.
Less successful, but commendable nonetheless, is Scott's $69.99 "Album
Wizard" program. This combines a binder, stamp mounts, pages you can pass
through an ink-jet or laser printer, and software built on version 5.5 of
FileMaker Pro, along with a printed, simplified U.S. stamp catalogue.
Combined with a separate "image CD" of U.S. stamps, you can use AlbumWizard
to create specialized layouts of album pages.
While the finished layout is certainly acceptable in many cases, there seems
to be a lack of the extreme flexibility found in AlbumGen, a program from
the creator of the EzStamp database (www.ezstamp.com). AlbumGen functions
far more like a desktop publishing program that has been fine-tuned for
philatelic pursuits; Scott's Album Wizard is a good first effort. Also, the
AlbumGen program draws from EzStamps' extensive collection of databases and
stamp illustrations; for now, Scott Publishing only offers an "image CD" for
United States stamps.
One positive about the Scott Album Wizard deserves mention: because it is
built on FileMaker Pro, Album Wizard runs on both Windows and Macintosh OS 9
systems. AlbumGen is limited to Windows, which puts Mac-wielding
philatelists at a disadvantage.
If stamps are your "thing," grab the Scott Catalogue CDs you need to make
your collecting easier. These discs would also make any collector's
Christmas a happier one.
Find this column useful? Why not sign-up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
Digital Nikon camera a winner, at a price
PC meets philately: one hit, one miss
Honey, they shrunk the COMDEX
Last-minute ideas
Microsoft's Tablet PC has promise, problems
Upgrade with a plan
Palm's New Tungsten PDA Shows Its Mettle
Nobody asked me, but ...
Love, in Quicktime
T-Mobile's sidekick a good partner
Put on a (happy, unwrinkled, tanned, whatever) face
Apple software upgrade very useful
I came, I saw, iPod
How's that? A tech critic reflects, briefly
Satellite radio gets favorable reception
HP's desktop printing marve
Mac satisfaction --- and some really good software
Off to college ... with eMachines
Have PC, must travel
After Shot manages your digital camera images
X200: Mobile worker's fantasy
Beware: Consumers face a fee for printing own checks