A Big Sensor, a High Price but a Shortcoming

Marketers like to promote cameras based on the number of megapixels, but a much better measure of image quality is the size of a camera’s sensor.

By that measure, the new Nikon Coolpix A ought to be pretty good. It crams the same size sensor you’d find many Nikon Digital single lens reflex cameras (called an APS-C sensor) into a compact camera body 4.4- by 2.6- by 1.6-inches.

Larger sensors generally work better in low light, capture more detail and have less visual noise than smaller ones. And sure enough, the test shots that I took were terrifically detailed, each hair discernible and because I was able to shoot at a low ISO, there was virtually no visual noise.

But there are already compact cameras with big sensors, like the $650 Sony RX-100 and the $1,300 Fuji X100S. The Coolpix A, which sells for $1,200, is notable for what it does not have: a zoom lens. The camera comes with the equivalent of a 28mm wide angle, and that’s it. Also, the lens’s largest aperture is F2.8, which is not impressive for a $1,200 camera.

There is nothing wrong with a good wide angle lens. They are known among photojournalists as “the story telling lens” for their ability to capture a broad vista while keeping both foreground and background objects in focus. The lens on the Coolpix A would make it handy for travel, because it is well suited to landscapes, architecture and settings like markets and plazas. But it is not the best lens for portraiture, and certainly not ideal for sports and action shots.

The Coolpix A does give the photographer more control than the average point and shoot, including many flash settings, so you can add a subtle hint of fill flash once you learn the controls.

But I can’t quite get past the math. For the same money, you could easily buy a Nikon DSLR and not one, but two fixed lenses. Granted, that rig won’t fit in a pocket, but it would be so much more flexible.

Casey Announces Support for Same-Sex Marriage

Senator Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania, who is often to the right of his party on social issues, joined the growing list of lawmakers who have announced their support for same-sex marriage rights.

“At a time when many Americans lament a lack of commitment in our society between married men and women, why would we want less commitment and fewer strong marriages” Mr. Casey said in a statement on Monday afternoon.

Mr. Casey, who won his bid for a second term in 2012, said that letters from gays and lesbians in his state influenced his decision, which he first disclosed in an interview with The Morning Call. He called for the Defense of Marriage Act to be repealed, days after the Supreme Court heard arguments considering the constitutionality of some aspects of the ban on federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

Mr. Casey, a Roman Catholic, had previously supported civil unions and voted to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” but he is among the country’s most prominent Democratic opponents of abortion rights. His announcement follows that of several other Democratic senators in recent weeks, including Kay Hagan of North Carolina, John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, Mark Warner of Virginia, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Jon Tester of Montana.

With Stanford Fellowship, Senate Renewable Energy Advocate Shuns K Street Path

Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat who retired as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in January, is going to Stanford Law School on a one-year fellowship to specialize in renewable energy, as Stanford becomes a kind of energy-in-exile center.

Mr. Bingaman will join the energy secretary, Steven Chu, a Nobel laureate in physics and a strong advocate of alternative energy sources, who will be returning to Stanford after a successor is confirmed for his current job. George P. Shultz, who was secretary of state in the Reagan administration and is now an advocate of a carbon tax, is already at Stanford.

The journey by backers of nontraditional energy sources to academia from Congress or the executive branch stands in contrast to the path of former lawmakers and administration officials with more conventional interests. They often end up on K Street in Washington, as lobbyists. John B. Breaux, Democrat of Louisiana, and Trent Lott of Mississippi, who was the Senate Republican leader, even went into business together as the Breaux Lott Leadership Group for “strategic consulting and lobbying.” 

“Energy” here usually means oil or gas, but sometimes it means nuclear. Christine Todd Whitman, a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, went on to be the co-chairwoman of CASEnergy, an advocacy group financed by the nuclear industry. But there are no equivalent organizations for sun, wind and oher forms of renewable energy. These have trade associations but not sophisticated public relations groups like CASE.

Mr. Bingaman, who is an alumnus of the Stanford Law School, will be a distinguished fellow working “to develop policies to assist states and local communities in promoting increased use of clean energy,” Stanford announced on Monday.

Given the state of energy politics, assisting the states is the most promising route for wind, solar and other renewables used to make electricity. By Stanford’s count, 29 states and the District of Columbia have a renewable portfolio standard â€" that is, a minimum quota for energy from renewable sources â€" and seven others have voluntary standards.

In some states, those standards are under pressure because of changes in the electricity market. Wind and sun mostly displace natural gas, but the price of natural gas has been falling, reducing the value of the alternative production. The failure of the federal government to implement any kind of carbon dioxide limit has not helped, either.

In the Senate, Mr. Bingaman was a backer of the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012, which would have given federal help to all low-carbon electricity producers. It did not pass the Senate.

His appointment at Stanford was supported by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

With Stanford Fellowship, Senate Renewable Energy Advocate Shuns K Street Path

Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat who retired as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in January, is going to Stanford Law School on a one-year fellowship to specialize in renewable energy, as Stanford becomes a kind of energy-in-exile center.

Mr. Bingaman will join the energy secretary, Steven Chu, a Nobel laureate in physics and a strong advocate of alternative energy sources, who will be returning to Stanford after a successor is confirmed for his current job. George P. Shultz, who was secretary of state in the Reagan administration and is now an advocate of a carbon tax, is already at Stanford.

The journey by backers of nontraditional energy sources to academia from Congress or the executive branch stands in contrast to the path of former lawmakers and administration officials with more conventional interests. They often end up on K Street in Washington, as lobbyists. John B. Breaux, Democrat of Louisiana, and Trent Lott of Mississippi, who was the Senate Republican leader, even went into business together as the Breaux Lott Leadership Group for “strategic consulting and lobbying.” 

“Energy” here usually means oil or gas, but sometimes it means nuclear. Christine Todd Whitman, a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, went on to be the co-chairwoman of CASEnergy, an advocacy group financed by the nuclear industry. But there are no equivalent organizations for sun, wind and oher forms of renewable energy. These have trade associations but not sophisticated public relations groups like CASE.

Mr. Bingaman, who is an alumnus of the Stanford Law School, will be a distinguished fellow working “to develop policies to assist states and local communities in promoting increased use of clean energy,” Stanford announced on Monday.

Given the state of energy politics, assisting the states is the most promising route for wind, solar and other renewables used to make electricity. By Stanford’s count, 29 states and the District of Columbia have a renewable portfolio standard â€" that is, a minimum quota for energy from renewable sources â€" and seven others have voluntary standards.

In some states, those standards are under pressure because of changes in the electricity market. Wind and sun mostly displace natural gas, but the price of natural gas has been falling, reducing the value of the alternative production. The failure of the federal government to implement any kind of carbon dioxide limit has not helped, either.

In the Senate, Mr. Bingaman was a backer of the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012, which would have given federal help to all low-carbon electricity producers. It did not pass the Senate.

His appointment at Stanford was supported by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Missed Shots and Quiet Messaging at Easter Egg Roll

A man in a bunny suit, a YouTube sensation and a dismal free throw performance by the president got all the laughs at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday morning. But along with the more than 30,000 children who frolicked across the South Lawn of the White House in ruffle socks and pastel-colored neckties, families of the victims of gun violence served as reminders of the children who could not be there.

With a Senate vote on gun legislation expected in the coming weeks, the mother and brother of Hadiya Pendleton, the Chicago teenager who was fatally shot in her hometown after she performed at the president’s inauguration, joined in the 135-year-old Easter tradition, as did families from Newtown, Conn., where a gunman killed 20 first graders and 6 educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

But the event, on a warm day in Washington, kept its traditionally festive tone, and Michelle Obama took advantage of another chance to push against childhood obesity.

The theme - “Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You!” - matched Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative, which encourages active lifestyles and healthy eating. There were cooking demonstrations with food industry figures like B. Smith and Ina Garten, as well as sports stations featuring the Nascar driver Danica Patrick and Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.

But President Obama seemed as though he had not been on the court in a while, missing 20 of the 22 shots he took while playing basketball with children and players from the Washington Wizards. After the bricks and air balls, he finally handed the ball over to 10-year-old Kahron Campbell of Landover, Md., whom he assisted with a layup. “He couldn’t make one,” Kahron said, according to a pool report. “I had to help him out.”

Before cheering on excited toddlers and siblings in matching outfits during the egg roll, Mr. Obama and his family were introduced by Robbie Novak, the 9-year-old YouTube celebrity known as Kid President. Mrs. Obama asked him to bring some of his signature pep and inspiration to the White House, telling him to “spend a little time in the Oval Office just fixing things up for this president.”

The Marine Corps Band played familiar tunes like ones from “Spiderman” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” as part of a tradition that started with President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878.

Though there were long lines, and not everyone got to see Mr. Obama - or even roll the eggs - the Easter spirit could not be cracked.

“My daughter was a little disappointed we didn’t get to see the president or anyone in the family,” said Ruth Ifill, who arrived at 6:55 a.m. with her husband, their two children and a friend’s daughter. “But they enjoyed it, they had fun and they were excited the entire time.”

A Dock That Turns an iPhone Into a Snoozing Alarm Clock

The thick rubber top on the Snooze alarm dock allows you to silence a phone’s alarm with a slap.

One advantage to sizable old bedside clocks was that it was easy to take a groggy swing at the snooze button and hit it.

If you use your phone as an alarm clock, though, you may have to pick it up, focus on the screen and unlock it before you can tap the snooze button. It hardly gives the satisfaction of a sleepy swipe at an offending timepiece.

But the Snooze alarm dock from Distil Union, a combination of a $40 phone stand and free app, turns an iPhone into a bedside clock capable of taking a drowsy whack.

The design is simple but brilliant. It’s just a three-sided block, hollow in the center, so it looks a bit like a “C” from the end. The iPhone 4 or 5 slides into a groove to become the fourth side. The recess is big enough to fit the phone even when it is in a slim case.

The Snooze app turns the phone into a large-display clock that can be dimmed or brightened by sliding a finger across the screen. Alarms are set much the same way as with the phone’s standard alarm app.

When the alarm goes off, you can slap the thick rubber top to silence it for one to 40 minutes. It can be set to snooze once, or repeatedly until you swipe your finger across the “Slide to Turn Off Alarm” button that appears on the screen during the alarm.

The stand is available in a combination of maple wood with white or black rubber accents, or all black or white in a soft-touch painted finish. It’s a little bulky to carry for travel (a collapsible version, please), but it has a Scandinavian modern appearance that might look at home on any end table.

The Snooze stand is available through Amazon.com and BiteMyApple.co.

Caucus Click: Patriotic Rabbit

Doug Mills/The New York Times The president, Michelle Obama, Robbie Novak (a k a Kid President) and the Easter Bunny during the National Anthem at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday morning.

Q&A: Adding Subtitles to Videos

Q.

How do I add subtitles to a home video I want to put on YouTube

A.

If YouTube is the only place you plan to share the video, the site’s own captioning tools can be one option for adding subtitles to your clip. As YouTube’s own Help guide notes, adding text makes the clip more accessible for those with hearing impairments â€" and Google’s other software tools can automatically translate your clip’s subtitle text into 60 different languages.

You can find general information about creating captions and subtitles for YouTube videos on the site here as well as a “Getting started” guide.

If you need help, the YouTube site has links to guidelines, software and services for adding captions to videos.

If you do not want to use YouTube’s tools, the video-editing software on your computer may have options for adding subtitles to the clip; check its help guide for instructions. Third-party programs for adding subtitles can also be found around the Web.

And Now to Washington, for a Message From . . .

WASHINGTON â€" President Obama pulled an April Fools’ joke Monday with the help of another, funnier politician: Kid President.

The White House had announced that Mr. Obama would release a special video announcement at 10 a.m. It provided no clue about the subject matter, posting only an image of the presidential lectern in the White House briefing room.

Solemn, indeed.

But in the video, right at 10, a small head popped up from behind the lectern. Instead of Mr. Obama, it was Robbie Novak, a k a Kid President, a 9-year-old who has become an Internet sensation.

“April Fools’ on all of you,” he said, chuckling. “I’m Kid President, and I hope everyone has an awesome day.”

The real president has worked with the smaller version of himself before. In February, Kid President posted a video in which Mr. Obama called him to talk about the Easter Egg Roll at the White House.

Mr. Obama does not appear in the latest video, leaving Kid President to joke around at the briefing room lectern.

“I made it to the White House,” he says. “I’m here. Peace.”

As Kid President walks out, he makes flatuence sounds with his mouth.

The Early Word: Evolution

Today’s Times

• Though he was once a fierce supporter of gun rights, Senator Harry Reid is now shepherding legislation that would expand background checks, among other gun control measures, Jennifer Steinhauer reports. It’s all part of a complex web of political calculations and evolutions that has come to define his leadership style over the last decade.

• As a group of eight senators, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, inches closer to a bill that would overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, wants everyone to keep expectations in check, Ashley Parker reports.

Around the Web

• Fans, admirers and even her critics have begun forming “super PACs” in case Hillary Rodham Clinton decides to run for president in 2016, Politico reports.

Happening in Washington

• The president and first lady will attend the White House Easter Egg Roll.

Q&A: Tracking Sent Mail Messages

Q.

Is there any way to tell whether and when an e-mail I have sent has been received and opened by the recipient

A.

Depending on the software used, certain e-mail programs and third-party services offer some ability to track the messages that are sent. These vary in approach and usefulness. Some mail programs require the recipient to click a button to acknowledge the message’s arrival â€" which the recipient might ignore. (Wary people avoid clicking on anything in a message for fear of installing malicious software on their computers.)

Microsoft Outlook 2010 is one program that has a built-in tracking function that generates delivery and read receipt confirmations for messages that are sent. Apple’s Mail program for OS X does not support read receipt requests by default, but some users have found a workaround with some technical fiddling. And although read receipts are not automatically available for personal Gmail accounts, those using the Google Apps for Business version of the mail program can request the notifications.

If your software does not include a satisfactory message-tracking feature, a third-party “certified mail” service could fill the void. For example, Boomerang, a browser plug-in for Gmail that costs $5 a month, offers read receipts among its features. Banana Tag is a similar service with comparable pricing that works with a few different mail programs.

Other paid services like ReadNotify and PointofMail are also out there, designed for those in marketing and advertising. You should read the online documentation and user reviews to decide if such a product fits your needs before putting up cash; keep in mind that some recipients may have privacy qualms or use mail formats that may not work well with tracking services.