The purpose of this article is to explain how to type web and
E-Mail Addresses and Search criteria. When do you use Capitals, Spaces and
Periods.
Web Address – (1-www) (4-.) (2-site name) (3-com)
A Web Address consists of 4 parts and all 4 parts are in Lower
Case letters with NO SPACES unless specified:
1.www = World
Wide Web and is the first part of the address
2.The Site Name
= The actual name of the Site - thetutors, google, yahoo, barnesandnobel etc.
3.The Extension
= This last part indicates whether the site is a Company (com), Organization
(org), Government Agency (gov), Military branch (mil) etc.
4.Dot = A
Period. This separates the other part
E-Mail Address – (1-thetutors) (2-@) (3-aol.com)
An E-Mail address consists of
3 parts
1.Recipients
Name = in lower case ‘thetutors’.
2.At sign = @ = Shift & #2 Keys
3.Mailbox provider – aol.com, comcast.net,
yahoo.com, optonline.com,
verizon.net, etc.
All parts are in lower case letters, unless specified, and with
NO SPACES
Web Searches –
In Google, Yahoo or any other
Search Engine
1.
Choose what you are looking for by
clicking on the categories at the top of the screen.
a. Web
for internet sites, Images for Pictures, Videos for Movie
Clips, etc.
2.
In the search area
type your request, in
proper grammar with spaces, No capitals
are required.
a. Note
the first few suggestions are usually PAID Ads, which may not be the best
choice.
b. Always
look for reputable sites such as AMA and Maio for medical etc.
Click the
Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Most cleaning
products fall into one of two categories: toxic or expensive. While both
types will clean almost anything (or at least, anything within their
limited range of capabilities), there's a third option. It's inexpensive
and not at all poisonous to humans. It's multi-purpose as well--one
container will take care of laundry, kitchen cleaning, even bugs and
weeds. This "miracle cleaner" is vinegar. Click on the link above to
discover all of its uses.
July
Help Prevent Computer Crashes
We've come to accept it as a fact of modern life: a computer can Crash. PCs
crash for a variety of reasons.
Hard disk problems can cause your computer to crash or freeze. This
can occur when your disk gets filled up with unwanted programs, temporary
files, obsolete system files and other such data. To help prevent this
you should use Disk Cleanup, regularly to clean up all unwanted junk files.
Programs, such as Ccleaner will accomplish this in minutes.
Upgrade your operating system as new releases and patches become available.
Old software or newly released software will crash and burn more often, so
watch for updates
Malicious infections such as virus, Trojan, worms, Spyware and Adware can
get into your system through different sources and cause computer crashes..
To prevent these infections, it is essential that you have anti-Malware
tools, such as Antivirus and anti-Spyware on your computer It is also
important that you run regular full system scans to ensure that no malicious
data exists on the computer, Update your virus protection software on a
regular basis. Set your antivirus programs to automatically
update to prevent infiltration
by any new viruses.
If you own a Desktop Computer and have it in a cabinet or on the floor you
should periodically dust the back of the machine. The fan should especially
be dust fee in that it keeps the system cool. Computers and electronics in
general don't like heat. Dust blocks fans, which generally cool you CPU,
video card and motherboard components. Dust also blocks fans and their
airflow into and out of your case. Cool air needs to be brought into a case,
and then the host air dispelled. If the airways are blocked, system
temperature can rise quickly and cause problems with the system.
If crashes continue to occur, your computer may have problems that require
more than a do-it-yourself diagnosis and repair. At that point you may
consider calling in an Expert.
Click the
Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
For those who really want to know first hand what is
contained in a congressional Bill Start Here. This site is run by the
Library of Congress and has the text of every Bill, past and pending.
You can view or download the entire bill. You can even search for a
Specific word or words in the text.
Try checking some facts you get in Forward E-Mails and you will be surprised
at what you discover.
June
How to Make an Older Program Run in Windows 7
Many programmers design their software to run on a specific version of
Windows, such as Windows XP. When you purchase a new computer it comes with
the newest operating system which is Windows 7. Unfortunately some of your
older programs may not be compatible with Windows 7 and refuse to work. If
an older game or other program refuses to run under Windows 7, there’s still
hope because of Windows 7’s compatibility mode. This mode tricks programs
into thinking that they’re running under their favorite older version of
Windows, letting them run in comfort.
If your old program has problems with Windows 7, follow these steps and you
might get it to work.
Right-click the program’s icon and choose
Properties.
When the Properties dialog box appears,
click the Compatibility tab.
In the Compatibility Mode section, select
the Run This Program in Compatibility Mode
Select the program’s desired Windows
version from the drop-down list. Check your program’s box or look at its
manual to see what version of Windows you want to use.
Click OK and
then try running your program again to see whether it works better.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
It was taken by camera
mounted on the front of a cable car.
The number of automobiles is
staggering for 1906. Absolutely amazing!
The clock tower at the end of
Market Street at the Embarcadero wharf isstill there.
Great historical film!
Watch the scampering as Joe Publicraces away from autos, horses, cable cars and
bicycles.
This film, originally thought to be from 1905 until
David Kiehn withthe Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum figured out
exactly when it wasshot. From New
York trade papers announcing the film showing to the wet streets from
recent heavy rainfall & shadows indicating time of year &actual weather and
conditions on historical record, even when the carswere registered (he even knows who owned them and when the plates wereissued!). It was
filmed only four days before the Great CaliforniaEarthquake of April 18th 1906 and shipped by train to NY forprocessing.
May
The Apple iPhone – A
Great Smart Phone
We have been
using cell phones since the 1990s. Now we use our iPhone which is not just a
phone but is a smart phone. A smart phone is any mobile
telephone that
combines voice services with advanced capabilities, which have some of the
functions of a PC.
In addition to
our cell phones, by the beginning of 2000 we used a Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA), a Palm Pilot. It was used to schedule appointments, and
keep both a personal and business address book. With our Palm Pilots we were
also able to play simple games such as solitaire. Well, technology has come
a long way in a short period of time, and the Personal Digital Assistant and
cell phone have combined to become the Smartphone.
There is never a
moment to be bored, even when sitting in a doctor’s office, when our
iPhone's are with us.
With the iPhone
we can do the following and much more:
• Access the
Internet
• Access our
email
• Listen to
music
• Read or listen
to books
• Find the
cheapest gas prices in our area
• Get the latest
stock quotes
• Set the alarm
clock
• Access the GPS
system
• Read journals,
blogs, newspapers and periodicals
• Watch You Tube
• Text message
our friends and family
• Access
Facebook
• Tweet on
Twitter
• Play games
such as board games, card games, casino games, arcade games, dice, and
puzzles, word games, trivia, and strategy games
• Get maps and
directions
• Use a
calculator
• Get the
weather
• Take pictures,
view them as a slideshow, or transfer to a computer.
• Take videos
• Record
messages and play them back
• Find a
restaurant and access its menu before going out
• Look up movie
timetables
The list goes on. The longer we have the device the more
uses we discover for it. You don’t have to be a kid to have fun, especially
with today’s technology.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Jeanne Robertson, award-winning humorist, professional speaker Tells the
story of sending her husband to pick up ingredients for some cakes.
It sounds simple enough but nothing is simple for a man in a grocery
store. Jeanne paints a picture for us that I am sure will have you
laughing even after the video ends. When I showed it to my
daughter she laughed so hard she could not catch her breath.
I love funny story's and Ms Robertson with her southern drawl and
delivery is a heck of a story teller.
April
The Do’s and Don'ts of
Creating Passwords
A
few years ago the only password we needed to remember was the one associated
with our email account. Today more and more websites require you to create
an account with a password to access it. From ordering airline tickets, to
purchasing merchandise online, doing online banking, accessing the latest
stock quotes, or belonging to Facebook or Twitter you have to come up with
another password to enter the website.
To
help you untangle this password mess we offer some do’s and don’ts when
creating a new password.
Do’s
Mix letters, numbers and symbols,
and use case sensitivity (upper and lower case letters)
The longer the better. Use
passwords that are longer than 6 characters.
Change your passwords at least
every 60 days, cycling the numeric values up or down makes the new password
easy to remember.
Make only the letters in the first
half of the alphabet uppercase.
Put a symbol at the end of each
password.
Put a punctuation mark at the
beginning of the password.
Put two numbers that are
meaningful to you in the middle of the password.
Write your passwords down and put
them in a place you will remember.
Don't:
Don’t use words or phrases or
numbers that have personal significance such your date of birth. your name,
, driver's license, telephone number or passport number.
Do not save your passwords on your
computer.
Don’t use the same password for
several logins, especially if they involve sensitive financial or other
personal information.
Don’t tell anybody your password.
When registering on websites that
ask for your email address, never use the same password as your email
account.
Don’t use sequences of numbers
such as 12345.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
A pair of bald eagles
arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, Botanical Garden in late fall 2003 to
build a nest. In early 2004 2 eggs hatched and fledged. Since
then new arrivals have come every year.
In 2006 the Eagle Cam was
operating allowing all of us to view a LIVE video of what is happening
in the nest. Since then we have been able to see the birth of our
National Bird every year.
The babies are still in
the nest so you can watch them grow each day until June when they will
fly away.
March
Windows 7 – Desktop
Slide Shows
I
f you are like
me you probably prefer to see something interesting as your background on
your computer’s desktop. In the past we would entertain ourselves by setting
our desktop background with a picture of a grandchild. However we did have
to make sure if one visited it was their picture that was on the screen. Now
with Windows 7 we no longer have that problem. We now can run a slide show
as our background (wallpaper) of whatever pictures we choose that are on our
computer.
The slideshow works similarly
to past Windows Background but now you can set your desktop to switch
between two or more pictures at specific intervals. You can determine how
often the images change. The range goes from seeing each picture for 10
seconds before switching to the next picture up until switching once a day,
with many choices in between. You can place the pictures in a specific order
or choose to shuffle them so that they display in a random order.
Besides being able to create
slide shows from your own pictures Windows 7 comes with its own themes.
Each theme has a different desktop background, window color, sound and
screen saver.
Architecture: Features
a desktop slide show if six alternating architectural images, the Twilight
glass color and the Cityscape sound theme.
Characters: Features a
desktop slide show of six alternating artistic whimsical cartoon-type
images.
Landscapes: Features a
desktop slide show of six alternating landscapes images.
UnitedStates:
Features a desktop slide show of six scenes of our country.
Nature: Features a
desktop slide show of six alternating scenes.
Dogs in Winter:
Features a desktop slide show of six alternating pictures of adorable dogs.
You choose all your themes in
Personalization, which can find in the Control Panel. Remember this computer
is your personal computer so personalize it to suite your fancy.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Born Blind and with Physical disabilities Patrick feels he is not disables
at all.
The mind and body reach farther then we can imagine.
A very inspirational video.
February
How Much RAM Memory Does Your Computer Need Now?
We get called weekly from people whose older computers are
running slowly. Most often these computers have 512 meg of Ram memory or
less, which although quite acceptable in 2007, is too small for today.
In 2010, computers require a minimum of 1 Gig of memory to run your computer
at an acceptable speed, although 2 gig is preferable. More memory will
also help to avoid the computer freezing up. If you purchase a new PC with
Windows 7, it will come with two to four gigs of memory if not more.
The term RAM is short for Random Access Memory. It is where
the programs that you are using, including Windows, are placed. One of the
most important things in a computer besides storage capacity and processing
speed is the RAM memory capacity. If RAM is full, Windows moves some of the
files not in use, to a special place on the hard drive. When the
computer needs these files, it chooses other files in RAM not being used and
returns the needed files to RAM. Each time more memory is required this
process takes place thus slowing down your PC. Suppose you were working on a
very small desk and needed five books to accomplish a task. Only one fits on
the desk. Each step of the way you have to close the book on your
desk, file it away on the bookshelf and retrieve another book. The only way
to speed up your work is to get a bigger desk, which will hold the five
books.
To check your memory click on Start, click with the right
mouse button on Computer and click on Properties. The window that appears
will list the amount of RAM your PC has. You can order more memory
over the internet at www.4allmemory.com; however, it will need to be
installed in your machine. Once accomplished, you will see a significant
difference.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Hulu.com is a web site that enables you to watch your favorite TV shows.
If you happened to miss an episode of your favorite show you may find it
there. You may have watched a show and liked it and want to see
previous episodes to catch up on the story line you can.
Although they do not have all shows they do have some of the better ones
like, NCIS, 24, Lost, Bones, House, Castle, and Greys Anatomy to name
a few. Old shows are there also like Dragnet, Sea Hunt and the Adam's
Family.
The more you look the better your chances of finding a show you want to see.
They also have trailers of recent movies so you can sample it before
renting, buying or going to see it.
January
Windows 7
Microsoft’s newest Operating
System, Windows 7 was released in October 22. 2009. There are various
versions to choose from. We recommend Windows 7 Premium for home use. Now
for the improvements to the previous Operating Systems which we explained in
the past two articles. Microsoft has focused on the basics
that can impact the speed of your PC. Windows 7
starts up, shuts down, resumes from sleep, and responds faster.
Windows 7
simplifies how you work with windows on your desktop. One of these changes
is in the taskbar at the bottom of your screen. You can now pin shortcuts
to the taskbar in whatever order you choose. You can see a preview of an
open program by resting your pointer on the icon. To open a program or file,
click an icon or one of the previews.
You can
maximize a window by dragging its border to the top of the screen, and
return the window to its original size by dragging it away from the top of
the screen. Two windows can be opened side by side by dragging the windows
to opposite sides of the screen. Each window will resize to fill half of the
screen. This is great if you are working on separate documents, spreadsheets
or programs that need to be viewed together.
With
Windows 7, you start with a clean
desktop and get to decide how it looks.. You can download new themes and
create your own to share with friends and family. New theme packages include
backgrounds, 16 window colors, sound schemes, and screen savers. You can
even have a slide show from your personal pictures as your desktop.
If you have a laptop Windows 7
helps extend its battery life with power-saving features, including dimming
the display if you don't use your computer for a while.
Here’s hoping that this new version
will satisfy Windows Users for awhile, or at least until Microsoft comes up
with something new.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
This video shows the winner of
"Ukraine's Got Talent", Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of
pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people
were affected by the German invasion during World War II. Her
talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch.
She begins by creating a scene showing a
couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then
warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.
It is replaced by a woman's face crying,
but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war
returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a
young woman's face appears.
She quickly becomes an old widow, her
face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an
Unknown Soldier.
This outdoor scene becomes framed by a
window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a
house.
In the final scene, a mother and child
appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed
against the glass, saying goodbye.
The Great Patriotic War, as it is called
in Ukraine, resulted in one in four of the population being killed
with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.
December
The Story Behind the
Microsoft Operating System part 2
We hope that after reading
last month’s article you have a better understanding of what Microsoft
Windows operating system does. A quick review - The purpose of an operating
system is to organize and control hardware and software so that the computer
behaves in a flexible but predictable way. On May 22, 1990 Microsoft
unleashed Windows 3.1, followed by Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME.
Security has become a huge
issue with the coming of the Internet. The earlier versions of Windows
were created before the widespread usage of the Internet. The idea was
that a PC would be a personal computer. It was not conceivable that people
would write malicious programs that wreck havoc on people’s computers. Thus:
Windows XP was released in
August of 2000. It was a more stable operating system than its predecessors.
The letters "XP" stand for "eXPerience," meaning the operating system was
meant to be a new type of user experience. It had greater security and still
continues to receive security updates and has widespread support and demand
among businesses and consumers.
On January 30, 2007 Microsoft
released its newest version of Windows, Vista. Microsoft's primary
objective with Windows Vista was to improve the state of security in the
Windows operating system. One common criticism of Windows XP and its
predecessors was their overall susceptibility to viruses and Vista was to be
a more secure system. Vista was an entirely new Operating system built from
the ground up with security in mind at every step in the process.
It had other changes such as
the appearance of the desktop. It comes with the Sidebar which lets
you place gadgets, such as the clock and calendar on your desktop. Picture
editing and managing became much easier with Windows Photo Gallery. There
was a new navigation tool to help you get around faster and easier. However
there was dissatisfaction with the system especially amongst those who are
using their PC for games. And again Microsoft has worked to create an
better system, Windows 7, which was released in October, 2009, and will be
the discussion for next month’s article.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
As most of us I seldom clean my Computer Screen until I found this unique
Automatic Cleaner.
Click the Title, Screen Cleaner, above to get your screen cleaned.
Try it even if your screen is clean. You will like it.
November
The Story Behind the Microsoft Operating System
When you turn on your computer, it's nice to think that you're in control.
You can open programs, access the internet print a document, download and
print pictures, listen to music, or watch a DVD. You may feel like a
director in front of your desktop or laptop, there's a lot going on inside,
but what really is handling the necessary tasks is your computer’s operating
system.
The purpose of an operating system is to organize and control hardware and
software so that the computer behaves in a flexible but predictable way.
At the simplest level, an operating system does two things:
1. It manages the hardware and software resources of the system, which
include such things as the processor, memory, and disk space.
2. It provides a stable, consistent way for programs to deal with the
hardware, (computer, printer, camera, disk drives) without having to know
all the details of the hardware.
Now for a History Lesson
In1975 Bill Gates and his childhood
friend Paul Allen., began a new company, Microsoft, believing that the
computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop. Of course we all
know how that turned out. 1981 began a long partnership with IBM, who ran
the Microsoft Disk Operating System on their computers
On May 22, 1990 Microsoft shipped Windows
3.0, which was the first successful version of Windows. It offered good
enough performance to satisfy PC users. The new operating system allowed PCs
to run programs, which had graphical applications for the first time. It
also allowed multiple programs to run simultaneously.
Windows 95 became available to consumers
in1995, (obvious). It allowed devices to be automatically installed
into the computer with the proper software. The computer ran faster and
more efficiently and had an improved memory handling processes. The
CD-Player had improved usability and an AutoPlay feature.
Three years later Windows 98 became available. It was faster and had help
support built right into the operating system. In 2000 we had one year of
Windows ME. It was safer and had system restore added which allowed users
who encountered a problem to restore their computer to a point in time
where their system was working properly.
Windows XP, Windows Vista and the NEW Windows 7 will be discussed in next
month’s article.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Kevin Richardson is an Animal Behaviorist who works wit lions on a private
reserve in South Aftica. This video shows him with the lions and the
narration explains the story.
Amazing, a must see!
October
Windows Security Suite – A FAKE PROGRAM –A REAL PROBLEM
BEWARE . There is a spyware program called
Windows Security Suite which is entering people’s computers. It is a fake
security suite application which, when it first appears, informs you that
you have a virus or spyware and to click to remove it. Windows Security
Suite actually comes from a Trojan infection and is designed to resemble a
security application that becomes part of the Windows operating system. It
is actually the spyware and when installed blocks legitimate programs from
running including some antispyware and antivirus tools.
When Windows Security Suite is installed, it
tends to issue exaggerated malware detection reports and run its bogus
scanners that report loads of infections when through. It may also trigger
the following phony alerts: “Unauthorized remote connection!” and “Windows
Security Suite Process Control. The truth is – all the “parasites” detected
by Windows Security Suite when it’s running on your PC are mostly legitimate
and absolutely normal Windows files which are wrongfully labeled malicious.
Windows Security Suite returns those fake scan results to attempt getting
you to purchase its full commercial version. Do Not Purchase it.
Should this program appear on your computer
screen immediately close what you are working on and run a scan with the
antivirus and spyware program that is already on your computer?
Unfortunately it is very difficult to get rid of Windows Security Suite once
installed. We have tried to remove it using anti Spyware programs such as
Spyware Doctor, but have not had success. To make sure that it is completely
off your computer you may have to reinstall Windows.
To help protect your computer make sure you
have both an up to date Anti Virus and Anti Spyware program on your
computer. Run scans at least once a month. Do not open emails and
attachments from people you do not know. Avoid contests and surveys that
you come across on the internet.
We
have been working with computers for almost 30 years and have not had
problems with programs such as Windows Security Suite because we are careful
and protected. You can have fun and enjoy your machine, but you need to be
aware.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
This link takes us to a video
made about an experiment with the Hubble Telescope. They pointed the
Hubble at Nothing, an area that was only black. Find out what they saw
in this beautifully narrated video.
September
Windows
Updates
We find that some of our
students ignore Windows Microsoft Updates when they pop up in the
Notification Area of their desktop. (lower right corner) It is very
important to the security of your system to download and install these
Updates.
Windows Update is an updating
service on Microsoft's Web site that enables you to obtain fixes and new
features for your version of Windows and is a vital part of your overall
security. These updates keep your computer current with security patches
that prevent viruses and malware from attempting to damage your PC. They are
additions to your software that can help prevent or fix problems and improve
how your computer works. When Microsoft finds and fixes errors in Windows
security they pass the fix to users via this feature.
When the number of individual
fixes to a Windows reaches a certain limit Microsoft will send an Update
called a Service Pack which is a collection of updates, fixes and/or
enhancements that are delivered in the form of a single installable package.
They may also add, besides bug fixes, entirely new features to your
computer. Service packs are numbered, and referred to as SP1, SP2, SP3. If
you have Windows XP you should have all three Service Packs installed on
your machine. Windows Vista should have SP1 installed on it.
The most reliable way to get
updates from Microsoft is to have them delivered automatically to your
computer via the Internet on a scheduled basis. Follow the steps below to
activate this feature:
Click on Start - Control Panel
– Security – Security Center. Locate Automatic Updating in the Security
Center Window that opens. The word ON or OFF will be to the right of
Automatic Updating. If it is turned OFF click on Windows Update – Change
Settings (only in Windows Vista) –Install Updates Automatically
(recommended).
It is VERY Important for your
computer to be up to date so if you are asked, Do you want to install
Microsoft updates, via a message on the bottom right side of the Task Bar
ALWAYS Click Yes.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Among all the nightmare
stories about Healthcare revisions I found one Non Partisan voice that put
it in simple language, AARP.
Yes, the organization with
over 35 million members, all age 50 and up. Their purpose is to help
get what seniors need and want. They explain what their main
objectives are in Healthcare revision and what the cost of doing nothing
will be. They do this in language we all can understand.
Click the Title above to read
the article and get to better understand the Healthcare problem.
August
The Kindle – A New Way of Reading
The Kindle is a great device for all who love
to read or be read to via audio cds. It is an electronic version of a
traditional printed book and is used solely as a reading device. It can be
purchased on line at
www.amazon.com/
The less costly Kindle sells for $359.00 and is just over 1/3 of an inch
thick, weighs 10.2 ounces and has a 6 inch viewing screen. It can store
over 1000 books. The Kindle DX, which sells for $489.00 is 9.7 inches but
still 1/ 3 inch thick and it weighs a little over a pound and stores over
3500 books, periodicals, and documents.
Users can download reading material through
the Amazon Kindle store, which now offers over 300.000 books. New releases
and New York Times bestsellers are offered for approximately $10, and first
chapters of many books are offered as a free sample. Many titles, including
some classics now in the public domain, are offered free of charge or at a
low price. (3-4 dollars); Newspaper Subscriptions, including The Wall Street
Journal, NY Times, and USA Today cost between $5.99 and $14.99 per month,
and magazines such as Forbes, Time, The Nation and Newsweek are between
$1.25 and $3.49 per month.
You can download your reading material from
the Internet as long as you are on high speed. You can even obtain your
books wirelessly if you have a wireless computer with a router or are in a
hot zone such as a restaurant that offers free Internet service. There are
no monthly fees or service plans. Just pay as you purchase. It can take as
fast as a minute to download an entire book. You can even play music in
random order in the background. But to go one step further, imagine being a
student and not having to carry all those heavy books around. Well
textbooks are also available for download and I will not be surprised if one
day the Kindle or a device like it will be required for all college
students. Technology again moves on.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
If you have Medicare part D
you can check to see which plan is best for you in few easy steps.
Click the Title, Link, above
and you get the AARP Donut Hole Calculator page for Tab 1. After
entering your Zip Code and clicking on Search you will see a
list op Insurance Plans. Page through until your plan appears and
click on the Plan you have now and you go to Tab 2.
In Tab 2, list your
medications and click Next when finished to go to Tab 3.
In Tab 3, see what your cost
will be on a chart. Read the instructions on how to understand what it
means. Scroll farther down and you see each of your medications
listed. Click on Any Options To Save, next to a drug and
you will see some alternatives to that drug and what the cost savings can
be.
Click back on Tab 1 to choose
another Plan and see what your cost will be.
July
Your Electronic Calendar
Barry and I keep track of all
our appointments and our life on our computer’s electronic calendar. If
plans change we click a button and the appointment is easily deleted. New
appointments are easily added or edited. If your computer uses Microsoft
Windows Vista you can easily plan and manage your activities electronically
without purchasing any new software. Windows Calendar is built right into
Windows Vista and offers automated integration features that make it easy to
learn and use. But best of all it allows you to set up a calendar for each
member of your family, and gives you the option of viewing one calendar at a
time or comparing multiple calendars. This program is great especially if
you manage more than your own schedule.
To create a calendar:
Click
the Start button in Windows Vista. Type "Calendar" in the Start Search
box.
Click
Windows Calendar from the results under Programs.
A
calendar will open with the name of the person assigned to the computer.
In
Windows Calendar, click File, and then New Calendar.
When
the new calendar appears, type a name for it in the Calendars task pane
on the left. and press the Enter Key.
On the
upper right you then assign a color to that person Each color shown
(blue, pink, and yellow) will represent a different person's calendar.
This color will help you identify a specific calendar quickly.
Now you're ready to create
appointments.. All calendar names will appear in the Calendars view. Click
New Appointment in the toolbar and fill in the required information in the
pane that opens on the right side of your screen.
You can view your appointments
by day, week, or month by clicking the View menu, and then clicking the view
you want. A check mark appears next to the view you select. I prefer monthly
view so I can see a whole month of appointments at once.
Don’t be
afraid to experiment with the calendar. Try the different options, have
fun, and maybe you will become even more organized.
June
Saving Your Data
There are various devices that
you can use to store your documents, pictures, and music. All the programs
and information in your computer are stored on a disk that is sealed inside
either your tower or laptop, called your hard disk or C drive. It is a
non-removable disk because you can’t just pop it out of the computer, unlike
removable devices that you can plug in when you want. There is a limit to
the amount of information that can be stored on a disk, although most disks
today store hundreds of billions of characters. You can also plug an
external hard disk into your computer for additional storage space or to use
to back up your information on your C drive.
We now have portable devices
that can store your files. Technically these devices are not disk drives,
but when hooked up to your computer Windows thinks it is a drive. A jump
drive (flash drive) is one of these devices. It is a small gadget that can
hang from a keychain and plugs into a USB port on your computer. Once
plugged in it acts just like a disk drive to Windows. You can copy or move
your documents, pictures etc. from your hard drive to the jump drive, and
use it in another computer or as a backup to your important information.
If you own a digital camera
your pictures are stored on a memory card that can be removed from the
camera. Many computers have a slot where you insert the card. You can then
copy the pictures onto your Hard drive in your computer. If you do not have
a slot then you connect the device to the computer with a cable that comes
with the camera and copy the pictures from the card to the computer’s Hard
Drive.
Portable MP3 players such as
the IPod, have replaced the portable cassette players. They also use a
memory card to store music. When you connect the device to your computer
via a cable you can copy songs from the player to your computer’s hard drive
or from the hard drive to the computer.
All these devices are
available to make our computer experience fun, so ENJOY.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
CalendarLabs.com, is a site where you can view or print Calendars for the
year and with what you want. You can choose from 21 different
countries and have their Holidays displayed or not. There is an
Astrological Calendar that shows the days that indicate your potential for
Love, Travel, Money, Career, Luck and even Health Risk. They have
calendars with Pictures and calendars with Quotations. You can also
create a calendar with your own pictures inserted.
I found the
site easy to use and the Holidays by country feature can come in handy if
you are planning a trip abroad.
May
Windows Defender
A big concern for most
computer users is that Spyware can secretly install itself on their PC while
they are surfing the Internet. Spyware latches onto your Browser (Internet
Explorer , Mozilla Firefox) without your knowledge. It may try to change
your homepage, dial numbers with your modem, or send your surfing habits
back to the spyware program publisher. It can change computer settings,
resulting in slow connection speeds, or cause a loss of Internet
connectivity.
One means of combating Spyware
is by having Anti spyware programs on your PC. Windows Vista comes with one
such program, Windows Defender. It is a defense against spyware and actually
detects and removes it from your computer thus protecting your computer
against annoying pop-ups, slow performance, security threats and eliminates
detected spyware easily at your direction. If you own a computer that has
Windows XP and at least Service Pack 2 you can download Windows Defender for
free from Microsoft’s web site.
Windows Defender works without
distracting you. It runs in the background and automatically handles spyware
based on preferences that you set. You schedule Defender to scan your
computer when it's convenient for you, whether it's on-demand or on a preset
schedule.
Microsoft has a whole team of
researchers continuously search the Internet to discover new spyware and
develop methods to counteract it. There is also a voluntary, worldwide
network of Windows Defender users who help Microsoft determine which
suspicious programs to classify as spyware. Participants help discover new
threats quickly and notify Microsoft analysts, so that everyone is better
protected. Anyone who uses Windows Defender can join this network and help
report potential spyware to Microsoft.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
The above
link takes you to a site that has the lyrics to almost every song. At
the same time that you are reading the lyrics the song is played so you can
sing along. Sometimes you even get a video of the artist singing the
song.
I tried
to look up a variety of artists and found lyrics to 1,888 songs sung by
Mario Lanza, 1.543 by Bruce Springsteen and even 1,351 by A Jolson.
At the top of
the home page are 2 boxes. The first says Search in Artist and the
second is blank. If you want to find a song by artist just type the
artists name in the blank box and click SEARCH. Click the Artists name
when it is found and choose the song from the lost by clicking on it.
The lyrics will appear and the song will start to play.
If you know
the Song Title, click in the first box and click on Search In Song Titles.
Now click in the second box and type the title and click SEARCH.
This is just
what I need to find the words I cannot understand in a song.
April
Stay In Touch With FaceBook
Our way of communicating with
family and friends is evolving. We can telephone, email, chat, instant
message, text message, blog, and now using websites, such as Facebook we can
become part of a social network on the internet where we can communicate
with other members who are part of the Facebook community. As a member you
log in and can chat via instant message,or-mail, blog, share documents,
videos and pictures, and even play games such as Scrabble. Users on Facebook
can create and customize their own profiles with photos, videos, and
information about themselves. Friends can browse the profiles of other
friends and write messages on their pages. Facebook features include:
·The Wall, which is a space on every user's profile page that
allows friends to post messages for the user to see.
·A poke, which is like tapping somebody on the shoulder to gain
their attention. The person you have poked receives the message in his
profile that you have poked him. Your friend can then poke you back. It's
just a quick way of saying “Hi I'm thinking about you.”
·Sending virtual gifts to their friends with a personalized
message.
·The marketplace which lets users post free classified ads.
Each user sets their own
privacy settings They control what types of information are shared
automatically with friends and are able to prevent others from seeing
updates about different types of activities, including profile changes. They
can also create a "limited profile," which allows them to hide certain parts
of their profile from a list of users that they select.
People use social networking
sites for different reasons. Some may want an easy way to keep in touch with
family and friends, find people from their past, search for business or job
possibilities, find a mate or just to find like-minded individuals online.
Social networks are designed to build upon interactions between individuals
and to create communities of people online. It is way of staying in touch,
renewing old friendships and creating new ones.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Click the Title above to enter the Virtual Sistine Chapel.
The Chapel appears, in a 360 degree view, as if you were standing in the
area between the pews and alter. You change the view by scrolling
Right, Left, Up, Down or zooming In and Out. Even if you have seen the
Chapel in person you will see things that you did not in person. This
is an amazing visual experience that was not available to us a few years
ago.
When the picture appears you will see some Navigation Buttons
at the bottom that allow you to move Left, Right, Up, Down and Zoom In and
Out. Try each to see how it works. Once you get the feel start
exploring. You can go anywhere you wish and get as close to the
paintings and fresco's as the artist's themselves.
There are other ways to navigate the picture. Click on
the picture once and you may also be able to do the same with
the Mouse and Keyboard. Place the Mouse Pointer on the picture, press
the button and move the pointer to change the view by moving the picture.
Try the Scroll Wheel to Zoom in or out. On the keyboard use the Arrow and Plus Minus Keys
to scroll or zoom.
I have found that Internet Explorer 7.0 seems to work best.
If you use Firefox or AOL you may find the the navigation buttons missing so
try the mouse or keyboard. I got an error text box at the bottom of
the screen that I closed with a button on the Right. If all fails you
may want to use Internet Explorer for this site use.
March
Take Time
to Play –Online Games
Often our lives are so busy we
forget to take time out to play. This is true for many computer users. You
get on line, read your mail, write some email, look up information and close
down. But for over 200 million people there is more to the computer then
just that. They love to play fun games online. These games are generally
very easy-to-learn word, puzzle, and board games and can be played for short
periods of time.
Most games can be enjoyed
free, although some sites charge subscription fees. You can purchase and
download many of the games. Prices for both subscriptions and purchased
games vary, but the costs are fairly nominal; for example, expect to pay no
more than $20 for a downloaded game.
Many games, such as the very
addictive but enjoyable puzzle game, Bejeweled is played against the
computer. However if you enjoy human competition you can enter game sites
where you join a group of people who are participating on their own computer
You can play against others who are waiting for a fourth player in, for
example, monopoly. Even if the other players are total strangers, they’ll be
glad to have you because you let them start the game. Or, you can schedule a
time to be online simultaneously with friends or family and create a game of
online Scrabble to play together. During the game, you can chat on the phone
with conference calling, video chat, or just instant message one another if
the game offers a built-in chat function. All of this from the comfort of
your own home.
There are dozens of gaming
sites, and most have dozens (if not hundreds) of games you can play. Your
options range from word and puzzle games to online versions of popular board
games to strategy and arcade-style games. With so much to choose from you’re
certain to find your personal favorites.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Click the Title above to go to the website where you will see
a large picture of a US president. Place the mouse pointer on the
picture and click the Triangle.
A slide show, with music starts with President number 1George
Washington who will change into president number 2 who then changes to
number three etc.
Just watching the pictures change is enjoyable.
February
No More Typing – Voice Recognition is Here
If you enjoy your computer but
just hate typing there is a solution out there for you. . Recently we
purchased “Dragon NaturallySpeaking” which is a voice recognition software
program. The program comes on a CD which you install on your computer. It
has a headpiece with an attached microphone for you to speak into. With a
small amount of effort you can lean back in your chair, put your feet up on
your desk and create an email without touching your keyboard.
After installing the program
you create a user for each person who is dictating. The user file stores
acoustic information about your voice that Dragon uses to recognize what you
say. These files also store any changes you make to the standard
vocabulary, such as specialized words, names, or abbreviations.
You need to initially train
Dragon to recognize your voice by reading text aloud for several minutes
from one of the available paragraphs. You only need to read for about five
minutes to train Dragon to recognize your voice. When you have read enough,
the New User Wizard displays a congratulations message. Just click on OK and
Dragon starts adapting to your voice.
Although you can use Dragon
to do most things on the computer by voice there are still some tasks that
will be easier to do using the mouse or keyboard. You just need to
experiment to see what works best for you. Computer technology just keeps
getting better and better.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Click the
link above ant you are taken to a web site where you see yellow puzzle
pieces for each state. You will also see the Great Lakes, Blue, in
their proper positions.
You must drag
the states to where they would be on a map of the US. Start with the
states that border the Great Lakes and go from there.
I started with NY which I knew bordered Lake Erie and could
not stop until I finished. And I did.
January
Internet
Toolbars
When on the Internet you may
have noticed some extra toolbars on the top of your screen. Toolbars
are rows of helpful icons that allow you to perform a wide variety of
functions. Almost every major search engine has a toolbar, including Yahoo
and Google.
These toolbars can be useful
while surfing the Internet. Some provide a “Pop-Up Blocker” which, when
activated, is intended to help prevent annoying pop-ups from showing up on
your computer screen when you’re using the Internet. The Toolbars use
Anti-Spy technology which is meant to prevent others from monitoring your
Internet use. They can help you remove programs that may be
spy-ware, and help tell you which programs you should keep.
Some of the Toolbars can be
quickly and easily customized so that only your favorite type of websites
are visible every time you sign in. For example, if you’re a frequent stock
checker, you can add the “stock” tab to the toolbar. One click on this tab
on the Yahoo toolbar and you’re instantly connected to Yahoo’s stock and
money information area. You can customize the toolbar to reflect your
interests in movies, music, food, weather, even shopping!
The Google toolbar has a button which enables you to access your Google Web
History from the Toolbar, to see where you have been searching lately and
even see suggestions for other related searches, If you're email is with
Gmail the Google Toolbar can set Gmail as your main email program. Once
you've done this, clicking on the email button will automatically open a
Gmail Compose page where you can immediately begin writing an email. There
is a Spell-check button which finds any spelling mistakes whenever you type
into a web form, including your email. The Auto Fix option even corrects
all of your text with a single click. When you use the Google Toolbar to
find a web page the Highlight button instantly lights up on the page making
it easier to find relevant information.
To add the Yahoo toolbar to
your internet screen type www.yahoo.com and look for the “download Yahoo
toolbar” icon. For the Google toolbar type
www.google.com. Follow the on-screen instructions, and you’ll be on your
way to customizing your toolbar to your interests and needs.
Having either of these
toolbars available to you makes your internet experience easier and more
enjoyable.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
In February
anyone with TV sets that are not connected to a Cable or
Satellite service must get a Conversion box to watch shows. ( see our
March 2008 Archived Newsletter for more details )
The link
above, click the Title, will play a Humorous video explaining how to convert
your Antenna, Analog, TV to Digital. The procedure is correct and
actually simple but for us seniors it can be intimidating. VERY FUNNY!
IF YOU HAVE COMCAST, DIRECT TV, DISH NETWORK OR ANY OTHER
CABLE OR SATELLITE SERVICE YOU DO NOT NEED THE CONVERTER.
December
How Do Spammers
Get Your Email Address???
People who receive a lot of Spam (junk mail)
often wonder how the Spammers get their email address. Some Spammers take
advantage of e-mail addresses readily available on the Internet, whereas
others employ different levels of trickery, from harvesting to outright
stealing.
Harvesting is a technique used by Spammers
to acquire email addresses from select Web Sites. They download the right
pages to their computer and extract your email address. Put your email
address on a Web site and you’re spam bait. Millions of users participate
in Newsgroups each day. They then become an easy target for Spammers. Many
groups, blogs, and discussion boards make their members email addresses
available.
Test messages are another means of acquiring
your email address. In this method, spammers sent test e-mails to recipients
whose addresses they simply guess. If they guess yours you get an email from
them.
Many spam messages contain “unsubscribe me”
links that you can click to opt out. When a user submits such a request,
the spammer knows that the address being sent is a valid one and will
continue to send spam to that address.
Among spammers, email addresses are a traded
and sold commodity. If you know where to look you can purchase CDs and
downloads containing email addresses by the hundreds of thousands or
millions. Beware of Web sites that collect your email address and promise
not to send anything to it. They LIE. A few high-profile companies have
been prosecuted and/or fined for this practice.
We recommend to our students that they
report all suspicious emails they receive to their Internet Provider by
clicking on the email and then clicking the Spam button.
We strongly suggest you create a second
email account that you use when on blogs, chat rooms, discussion groups or
when placing an order. You can access it occasionally and delete all the
junk mail at one time without opening the email.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Click the
link above to take a quiz on two topics, Company Logos and Automobile logos.
Click the
Smart Marketing logo to do the Company logo quiz or the Brand Prix logo for
the automobile quiz.
After the
quiz is complete click the Back button on your browser to go to the starting
page to take the other quiz.
You may be
surprised at how much you remember from the commercials we must watch on TV.
November
Windows Vista SideBar
Windows Vista
has a new desktop feature called Windows Sidebar. When opened it is located
on the right side of your desktop. Each item on the sidebar is called a
“gadget”. Gadgets enable easy access to information such as the current
time, weather, or stock quotes.
Three default
gadgets automatically install with Windows Vista are:
Clock, which shows an analog clock with the current time for any time
zone you select.
Slide Show, which displays a continuous slideshow of the images that you
have stored in your Pictures folder.
Feed Headlines, which shows you headlines for the news site you select.
You can add more gadgets to the sidebar. Click on the + sign above the
sidebar and a window will appear with additional gadgets you can choose
from. You then choose the gadgets you want to add from the list that is
displayed. You can also choose to go online and download additional
gadgets, such as The Ultimate Explorer which allows you to search 50
different websites including Amazon, Google, Digg, YouTube, Yahoo,
Drugstore, Wikipedia, eBay and WeatherBug conveniently from your desktop in
a single compact tool.
If the
Sidebar is not displayed on your desktop you can open it by clicking on
Start, All Programs, Accessories, Windows Sidebar.
If you want
to temporarily hide the Sidebar and all its gadgets, right-click anywhere on
the Sidebar outside of its gadgets and then click Close Sidebar on the
shortcut menu. To redisplay the hidden Sidebar, click the Windows Sidebar
icon (the blue icon that at first glance looks like an old TV set) in the
Notification area of the Windows taskbar. If you want to get rid of the
Sidebar on a permanent basis, open the Windows Sidebar Properties dialog box
by right-clicking somewhere on the Sidebar (outside of the gadgets) and then
click Properties on its shortcut menu. Then click the Start Sidebar When
Windows Starts check box to remove its check mark before you click OK. Doing
this prevents Vista from starting up the hidden Sidebar the next time you
boot up your computer.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Click the
link above to view a video on Computer Safety and in the screen that appears
click Play to view it.
This video,
the first of 6, is on Safe Starts and the other 5 are listed below.
These videos are a team project by AARP and GOOGLE, to help you understand
what is needed to keep you and your PC safe.
After viewing
the first video you can click the links to the others, found below the video
screen, on the left.
Safe
Starts
Practicing Password Safety
Sharing Content Safely
What's Posted About You
Shopping Safely Online
Avoid
Phishing Scams
October
Windows Photo Gallery
Viewer
Our June article explained how
you can create movies and slide presentations using Windows Movie Maker.
Microsoft’s newest operating system, Windows Vista, comes with Windows Photo
Gallery viewer, a simple tool which, in addition enables you to easily edit
the most common photo problems.
The first step to editing
photos is to open the Picture folder and select the picture you want to work
with. Double click on the picture and the Photo Gallery Viewer will open
with that picture in its window. The Photo Gallery comes with a simple
editor called Fix, which is located on the top of the window in the
toolbar. Just click on Fix to access the functions.
·The first option you see is Auto Adjust. This
function will try to correct the brightness and contrast on its own.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it makes the picture worse. Do not
panic if it is not to your liking. Fortunately there is an Undo command
on the bottom right side of the window. Click it and the picture
returns to its original state.
·The next choice on the list is Adjust Exposure.
There is a slider that enables you to make the picture lighter or
darker. You may need to adjust the contrast as well, to bring some
depth to the picture. Just drag the contrast sliders right or left
until the picture is to your satisfaction.
·You can also use the Adjust Color feature to change
the color temperature. Dragging the slider to the left adds a bluish
tint, and to the right a reddish tint. The Tint function changes
the color cast by adding or removing green from the picture.
·Using Saturation changes the intensity of all
colors. If you drag the slider all the way to the left the picture
becomes a black and white, eliminating all colors.
·The Cropping tool gets rid of any unnecessary
background. This is helpful if you want to bring the subject into the
foreground of the picture.
·My favorite feature is Fix Red Eye. You just drag a
rectangle around the eye and click.
When you have finished
touching up a photo in the Fix pane click Back to Gallery and your changes
are saved automatically. You now have the perfect picture.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
It is a game
where you try to guess a word by selecting letters you think may be in the
word.
Click the
link above and click PLAY on the site that appears.
The dashes on
the new screen represent the number of letters in the word you are trying to
figure out.
Click a
letter you thing the word may contain.
If the word
does NOT contail the letter you choose the skeleton gets more bones.
Keep doing
that until you get the word or you will see what happens if you compleat the
skeleton.
September
Clean up Your Computer
Is your computer running
slow? Are you getting frustrated waiting for your websites to come up and
your email pictures to download? What your computer requires is a good
housekeeping.
Over a period of time
computers slow down. They become cluttered with unused programs, unknown
data, and unwanted visitors that you do not know are on your system. Once
cleaned your computer runs almost as quickly as it did the day you got it.
You can get through your work faster, therefore more efficiently and have a
lot more fun.
A huge benefit of a clean
system is that it is more reliable than one that isn't. If you fail to clean
your system, over time it goes from clean to cluttered to messed-up to
unstable. Unstable systems crash and have a tendency to lose data. When
cleaned your system, and you should see stability jump dramatically.
A clean system can reduce
anxiety and provide a pleasant ease of mind. How so? Consider the worry that
you'd have if your system were infected by a virus, or you weren't sure that
the financial data on it was safe, or you didn't know what programs were
running on the system.
There are various programs
which will help you to do a cleanup, however unless you are computer savvy
we do not suggest doing this on your own. You can start however with using
the Disk Cleanup utility that is on your computer. To access it go to
Start-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Cleanup.
Disk Cleanup will:
Remove
downloaded program files you do not need.
Empty the
Recycle Bin.
Remove
Windows temporary files.
Remove
optional Windows components that you don't use.
Remove
installed programs that you no longer use.
You can also speed up the
processing by using the Disk Defragmenter utility which is also located in
System Tools. We suggest you click first on Analyze. The computer will let
you know if you should Defrag. It can take awhile for the Defragmenter to
complete its task. You can leave the computer and return when it is
completed.
And Remember most important to
your computer’s health is that you have a good virus and spyware program
protecting it.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Have you ever
been confused about which software to buy? Have you spent hours online
or at the store trying to find out what program is good for what you want to
do? This site provides in-depth product reviews and comparisons so you never
have to wonder again. And you can buy the software directly from their
site. I have several times and have been satisfied each time.
July
Vista - Shutting Down
When you finished working on
your computer do you shut it down or leave it on? Microsoft, when creating
its new Vista Operating systems decided we needed many options to choose
from.
·The CIRCLE - puts your computer in a low power state
without shutting it all the way down. When you restart the computer and log
in, you’re taken back to wherever you left off before clicking that button.
·The LOCK - takes you back to the login screen. To get
back to where you were you click your user account picture on the screen
that appears.
·The ARROW - to the right of the Lock button displays
even more options.
·SWITCH USERS - switches you to another user account
without logging out of the current account.
·LOCK - bring you back to the login screen.
·RESTART –closes all open items and restarts
(reboots) the computer.
·SLEEP –puts the computer in a state where it
consumes very little power. When you press the Power button you
will return to the place you were before going to sleep
·HIBERNATE –saves what’s on your desktop, and then
shuts down the computer all the way so it consumes no power at all.
When you restart the computer, with the Power Button, and log in, your
desktop is returned to wherever you left things. It also takes much
faster to get back to your desktop then when you shut down the computer.
·SHUT DOWN – This choice closes all open items and
actually shuts down the computer. When you restart the computer and log
in your are taken to a clean desktop.
Restarting your computer
will vary according to which option you have chosen. When you put your
computer to sleep you can usually wake it by touching the mouse on a desktop
or tapping the mouse pad on a laptop. This is a good choice for when you
know you will be using the computer at a later time that day.
When you hibernate or shut
down you have to use the main On/Off switch to turn the computer back on.
When leaving your computer for the day we suggest one of these two options.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Click to go to a site to test your knowledge of
Brands and Logo's
On the left is a test for Products and on
the right for Auto's. Each has about 20 questions. Some are
Audible sound bites. For these you can click the Play Again Button to
hear it again before choosing an answer.
See how much you
remember about those commercials and Ads you see and hear. Good Luck
June
Using Windows Movie Maker
How would you like to be able to create your own
movies and slide presentations? You actually can with Windows Movie Maker,
a program that comes with Windows XP and Vista. With this program you create
professional looking videos with custom titles and credits, sound effects,
voice narration and special effects. You get to be the cameraman, director
and producer. When your movie or slide show is complete you can watch it on
your computer, copy it to a DVD to watch on your TV, or send it via Email to
your friends and family.
Professional movie makers create their movies
by going through a procedure. There is a similar procedure that you would
follow when creating your own movies. First you import videos or pictures
and music for your movie into Movie Maker. You can then edit out any
pictures or video that you do not want to use in your movie. You organize
the remaining good material into a story. Then you elaborate what you have
with photos, titles, special effects, background music, voice narration, and
sound effects. Your final step is to publish the finished movie to a file
or DVD.
Following the steps given on the screen makes
creating your project a lot of fun and after a few tries relatively easy. So
get that camera out and start your new career in movies.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Purely entertaining, this site is a Cartoon conflict between the Animator
and his creation.
The Animator controls the mouse and is represented by the pointer.
His creation, the animation, is the Stick Man. While the battle rages
it does so by each side using the Tools of the program to attack and defend.
Click the link and click PLAY when it appears on the screen.
I didn't know you could do that with PAINT!
MAY
Firewalls –Why Do We Need Them
In the past we have written about the importance
of having good Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus programs to protect your
computer. In addition to these programs your computer needs a Firewall to
keep out malware called Worms. A Virus however needs a host computer to
spread from one computer to another. They usually enter computers hidden in
e-mail attachments and programs that are downloaded off the internet.
A Worm is similar to a Virus in that it can
replicate itself and spread. Unlike a Virus, a Worm does not need a host
computer to travel around. It can come in through your internet connection
without your knowledge or anything you have done. The harm caused by a Worm
can range from minor pranks such as a message appearing somewhere on your
screen to more serious damage such as erasing important information or not
being able to open your computer at all.
Firewalls prevent Worms from entering your
computer. A Firewall keeps track of everything that you request when on the
internet and allows only those items you requested to reach your computer.
If you did not request the information the Firewall assumes that a hacker is
trying to sneak something in without you knowing about it and prevents it
from entering.
Most Security Suites have a Firewall as one of
their components. Microsoft Windows comes with its own Firewall. The
Firewall on Windows XP was not considered to be that safe. With Windows
Vista came an improved and more secure Firewall.
Firewalls help keep the bad stuff out. With
proper protection and good judgment you can keep your computer healthy and
safe so that you can enjoy being a part of our technical world.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
This is the site of the British Broadcasting Company, ( BBC ).
You will find many stories that are not covered on our news and,
possibly, a different perspective to those that are.
APRIL
Desktop Icons
What does your desktop look like? it. When
you received your PC, you probably had many icons (pictures) on the desktop
and if you do not know how to remove or organize them they are probably
still there. Most icons are just shortcuts. A shortcut gives you instant
access to a program, document, folder, printer, disk drive, or any other
object you use regularly. Deleting the shortcut icon does not delete the
application that it represents and is easy to accomplish. Simply click with
your right mouse button on the shortcut. A menu will appear. Click on
delete with the left mouse button. Windows gives you a chance to
reconsider. Click on yes if you want to continue with the deletion.
If you are keeping Icons on your desktop
Windows gives you several simple tools for arranging them in an orderly
manner. Right-click an empty part of the desktop. A menu will appear giving
you the various options on how to display your shortcut icons.
Click on Sort By and you can sort icons by
name, size, type (folders, documents, shortcuts, and so on), or the date
that the icon was last modified.
If you have Vista click on View. Click
auto-arrange and your icons will be arranged in an orderly fashion, with the
first icon in the upper-left corner, the second one directly below the first
one, the third below it, and so on. When in this mode the icons cannot be
manually rearranged. The menu for Windows XP is different. When you right
click on the desktop you move your pointer on Arrange Icons By. You will
then have the same options.
If you want to arrange your icons by
yourself make certain that auto arrange does not have a checkmark in front
of it. If it does click on auto arrange and the checkmark is removed. Move
your pointer over the icon you want to move, hold down the left mouse
button, and drag it to another location on the desktop.
You can now do some housekeeping and arrange
your icons to your liking.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Click the
link above to go to Pandora. Type in your favorite artist and follow
directions to listen.
The music you
hear will be the artist you choose of their songs sung by others.http://www.pandora.com/?tc=l-005399-0152-1149
MARCH
Digital Television – What You Should Know
At
midnight on February 17, 2009, all stations in the United States will stop
broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting. Many TV
watchers are concerned about how this affects them
Those of
you who have Analog TV’s, subscribe to a cable company such as Comcast,
Cablevision, Direct TV or Dish Network and use their Set Top Boxes, Decoder
Box), you will continue to receive local broadcast programming as usual.
Those
most affected by the change are consumers who have antennas (not Satellite
Dishes) on TV sets having only analog tuners. In this case you will need to
obtain a separate digital-to-analog set-top converter box to watch TV. These
boxes receive digital signals and convert them into analog format for
display on analog TVs. There is a $70 fee for this box, however between Jan.
1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, all U.S. households will be eligible to request
up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of up to
two, digital-to-analog converter boxes. The National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA) have the responsibility for administering
the coupon program. For more information you can go to
www.dtv2009.gov on the Internet.
If you
already have a Digital TV and are using an Antenna or use a Cable or
Satellite provider you will receive the same channel lineup as you do now.
However if you want to get the most of your TV, DVD Quality, you must have
the digital High Definition package from your Service Provider.
Now don’t
you feel a lot better. Forget those rumors that you will have to purchase a
new television. What you have can work just fine.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
On this site
you can find ALL the Registered Sex Offenders by Zip Code. Pass this
link on to those you feel can benefit from this site, your children, friends
etc.
Click the
Link above and when the site is loaded type in YOUR Zip Code on the left,
just below the word ALASKA, and click the SEARCH Button below it.
On the map that will appear there will be Colored Squares where the
Offenders Live or Work. Click on a square and information about the
Offender will appear including a Picture, in most cases.
The area
to the left of the map shows what the colors of the squares represent.
FEBRUARY
Create a Quick PC Shutdown Icon on Your Desktop
Buried
deep inside Windows XP and Windows Vista lurks a little-known program called
shutdown that shuts down your system in a very fast, but orderly way. Just
follow the instructions below to create this shortcut.
Click with the right mouse button on any empty
location on your desktop.
Click New
Click on Shortcut.
The Create Shortcut Wizard appears.
In the Type the Location of the Item box, type
shutdown -s -t 0.
It's important that you put spaces before each
hyphen, that you have no spaces after each hyphen, and that you use a
zero at the end.
Click Next.
In the Type a Name for This Shortcut box, use a
name that will remind you that this button is for a very quick shut
down.
Click Finish
A new
shortcut appears on your desktop. You can change the icon of that shortcut.
Right-click the shortcut and click Properties.
Click the Change Icon button.
Pick an appropriate icon for the shortcut and
double-click on it.
Click OK, and your new, quick icon for your shut
down shortcut appears on the desktop.
To test
the new, fast shut down icon, make sure no programs are running, and
double-click it. Your computer will now shut down.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
A site
where they are all about bringing you simple, easy-to-use technology in an
entertaining and educational format. Not only do they strive to
feature the latest and most interesting products , but they also test them
to make sure that each product does what we say it will do.
The items
are explained in videos that are easy to understand.
JANUARY
Be Careful Where You Click
In
previous articles we have stressed how important it is to be aware of the
many scams that are now on the internet. It is imperative that you use
caution when a window pops up while you are on the internet before you click
to open it. One such pop up is called Ultimate Defender. It claims it has
detected that your computer contains pornography and spyware that it can
delete if you click and open the program. People sometimes assume that it
is their own anti spyware program that is reporting this and continue to
follow Ultimate Defender’s directions. The result is every time you go on
the Internet you get one pop up after another, many which advertise
pornography. A window then appears from Ultimate Defender that claims it
has found spyware and in order to delete it you need to purchase the
program.
Do not
purchase the program, since it was Ultimate Defender that initially caused
it and there is a possibility that a time bomb will be installed on your
computer which will cause the same problem to occur as soon as Ultimate
Defender expires. Unfortunately the anti spyware program that is on your
computer most likely will not be able to get rid of this problem. There are
legitimate programs that can be purchased which will eliminate Ultimate
Defender and its problems from your computer.
The best
way to prevent this type of malware from entering your computer is to avoid
opening and downloading advertisements such as this. Again BE CAREFUL WHERE
YOU CLICK!!!!!!
DECEMBER
Internet
Explorer 7.0
When you log onto the
internet you will most likely be using a software application called
Internet Explorer. This is known as a Browser. An Internet Browser
interprets HTML, the programming language of the internet, into the words
and graphics that you see when viewing a web page. Microsoft’s Internet
Explorer is used by 80 per cent of Internet users.
Microsoft has recently
released its new version of its browser, which provides improved navigation
on the internet through tabbed browsing, web search right from the toolbar,
advanced printing, better security and easy discovery and reading. To the
average user this means a more enjoyable Internet experience. Explorer 7.0
works only with Windows XP and Windows Vista.
One really nice new
feature is Tabbed browsing. We can now open many internet sites at the same
time and switch between them without having to close a website and open it
again. To open a new blank tab, click the New Tab button on the tab row. A
new window will open which will say You’ve opened a new Tab. Click in the
Address Bar and type a new web address in. You can now switch back to your
original website without closing the new site you just opened simple by
clicking on its Tab. To close the new Tab but still remain on the Internet
just click on the X on that Tab.
You can now enlarge
individual WebPages, including both text and graphics with the new Zoom
feature. Located at the bottom right of the Explorer window you will see
100%. Click on this and you can now enlarge the print to as much as 400%.
Explorer 7.0 gives us
more protection and security features that help defend against malicious
software (also known as malware), and new ways to better protect against the
theft of personal data from fraudulent Web sites, a practice known as
phishing.
You can update to
Internet Explorer 7.0 by going to www.microsoft .com and downloading it. If
you are not at a level that this is comfortable you can use Microsoft’s Free
Internet Explorer 7 installation and set-up phone support at 1-866-234-6020.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Sandy Berger, nationally respected computer
authority, journalist, media guest, speaker, and author, has a website that
has a lot of information and is easier to understand than most How To books.
Sandy applies her unique ability to explain in
easy-to-understand language how to use and enjoy today's technology. Her
trademark, "Compu-KISS®" which stands for "The Computer World - Keeping It
Short and Simple," represents her approach to helping others enhance life
through the use of computers and technology.
NOVEMBER
SPAM
In real life, everyone
is familiar with 'junk mail' -- mail you don't want from people you don't
know. Junk E-mail is the same thing in your electronic mailbox. It seems
that each day we get more and more of this E-mail, which is referred to as
SPAM. We want to share with you some tips on cleaning up your E-mail.
First before you even
open the mail quickly glance down at the addresses from the E-mail you
receive. Do not open an E-mail from addresses you do not recognize and
especially NEVER download anything from an unknown sender.
Before we open our mail
we scan the Subject line. There are some subject lines that just scream
out "junk E-mail". Anything that includes the word "free" or "hot," or has
the phrase "cash now" or "make money fast" in it, is probably spam. Beware
of hyperlinks in E-mails (blue, underlined words or phrases that link to
Internet sites). Scammers often use hyperlinks to direct you to Web sites
that look official but are not.
In the real world, any
time you do anything that opens your name to the public, you may receive
unsolicited mailings. The same is true in the online world. Any time you do
anything that makes your E-mail address open to the public, you may receive
unsolicited mailings. This occurs when:
· Ordering
merchandise.
· Chatting
· Joining game
sites.
· Becoming a
subscriber
· Creating a
member profile.
To avoid filling your
mailbox with Spam create a second screen name which you give online. Most
junk mail will go there. You can access it occasionally and delete all the
junk mail at one time without opening them.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
For all you golfers here is a fun game to pass the
time.
Click on the link and when the site opens click
Instructions to learn how to play or follow my directions below.
With the mouse position the ball in the Tee area and
Click to set the position. Move the pointer behind the ball and a
Yellow line appears in front of the ball. The Yellow line indicates
the direction the ball will move in. The longer the Yellow line the
harder the ball will be hit.
OCTOBER 2007
Digital Photo Frames
We have been taking pictures with
digital cameras for the past seven years and thus have accumulated hundreds
of pictures which reside on our computer. They are well organized but
seldom viewed. One can only have so many printed pictures around the house,
and thus the pictures go unseen for most of the year. That has now changed
with the purchase of our Digital Photo Frame. We now can view and enjoy a
slide show of pictures throughout the day as they appear on the frame.
A digital frame consists of an LCD,
similar to the one on your LCD monitor or notebook screen; a port or slot
for connecting to a device that stores your digital photos; and a set of
controls. Our pictures are copied from either our computer to a memory card,
or taken directly from the camera’s memory card and put into a slot in the
frame. Thus you do not have to own a computer to enjoy the benefit of the
frame. Once the card is inserted into the frame you move the switch located
in the back to the on position and just sit back and enjoy. A 1 gig card
stores about 400 pictures. Some frames even have wireless connectivity which
allows you to connect directly to the Internet and download photos from
different services such as Kodak's online EasyShare Gallery.
Digital photo frames come in
different sizes. Ours has a 9.2 inch display and two wood faceplates, black
and mahogany that can easily be put on the LCD display, thus making it look
like a real picture frame. It can be set to randomly select pictures for a
slideshow, display one picture at a time as in a traditional photo frame and
can play music through its built-in speakers. Some frames let you copy,
delete and rename pictures without ever touching a computer. Ours has a
remote control so that you can select still photos, change musical tracks,
and adjust slideshow settings from across the room.
Gone are our old picture frames, and
no longer do we need to fill up albums that are seldom viewed. Technology
quickly marches on giving us great new gadgets to enjoy.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Cofi Jukebox is an internet radio
station with NO commercials. You pick the year you wish to hear music from
or the Genre, Doo Wop, Classical etc., then click on a title to start the
music. Cofi will play in the background while you do other things such as
check your email. There is even a link to get song lyrics.
Enjoy the music.
SEPTEMBER 2007
Beyond Email
Email has become a
common form of communicating with our friends and family. Often, however,
we require or desire an instant reply from the other end. Instead of email,
more and more users are discovering the benefit of Instant Messaging (IM).
By using one of the many free services available over the Internet you can
easily communicate back and forth with text, voice or video.
Some free services
available are AIM, MSN, Yahoo Messenger and Skype. As with your email you
can set up a friend’s list which indicates who’s online, who’s away and who
doesn’t want to be disturbed at the moment. To talk on line with someone,
click their name and a simple chat box appears. You can type directly into
the space at the bottom of the box and press enter to send the message.
If you would prefer to
speak with your friends, rather then type, many of the services provide a
voice function. You initiate a voice call by simply clicking the Call
button. The person on the other end must also have IM on his computer in
order to receive the call. Barry and I use Skype for our voice IM. This is
a free service we downloaded off the internet. We can call anywhere in the
world to an email address for free as long as the other party has Skype on
their computer. Skype also allows us to use our Web Cam attached to our
computer to see our family and friends while we talk. The person on the
receiving end must have a Web Cam on their computer. Whenever we get the
urge to see the grandkids we now can get on the computer and receive instant
gratification. The first time I saw this great technology was on Star Trek,
forty years ago. Some day we may even be able to say, “Beam me up Scotty”.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
This is the old Ask Jeeves
search engne that has been redone. When you search it not only gives
you the sites found but additional information. I searched on
Manchester, NJ and on the left were links to Adult communities, schools and
more. On the Right is a link to and encyclopedia article about the
town.
Try it and compare the results
to Google.
AUGUST 2007
All Those Passwords
When we first began
using the Internet, about a decade ago, we had one password that we needed
to sign into the service. Now passwords are everywhere. You need one to
check your financial account balances, get your email, or even read the
online news. It can become very cumbersome to remember which site has which
password. If you do forget a password and want to access a website all is
not lost. Online passwords are relatively easy to recover.
When you register for
a website that requires a password you generally have to select a security
question, such as what is your mother’s maiden name or what is the name of
your dog. If you should forget your password you can generally request that
it be sent to you via email. For your protection you will be asked to
answer your security question. If you answer the question correctly, the
Web site will email your password to the address that you originally typed
when registering for the site. It is therefore important to pick a question
that you will remember the answer to. For example, choosing your favorite
movie or restaurant may not be advisable, since it can easily be forgotten;
however you will never forget your pet’s name or mother’s maiden name.
The best thing of
course is to remember your password. One way to do this is by choosing
three passwords that you use on a rotating basis for all of you password
needs. They should have at least six characters, including both letters and
numbers, and is not you last name, date of birth, phone number or other
obvious information. We also suggest that you write down each site and its
password and keep them in a location near your computer. Remembering
passwords makes your internet experience much more enjoyable.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
The link above takes you to the page where you can Download FREE Software to
use the SKYPE service.
When prompted click to RUN the Software not save. After the download,
when prompted, click on RUN not OPEN.
After installation you can take a tutorial on how to use the service.
You must then add Contacts to your list of people to call and they to must
be registered with SKYPE. There is even an option to call SKYPE to
test the service if you do not have anyone to call.
Karen and I have tried many ways of making video calls to see our
grandchildren and found them not worth the effort. When we were told
of SKYPE and tried it we found it so easy to use that we tell very one we
know to sign up.
When we cannot see the children or they want to see us SKYPE is Fantastic!
JULY
2007
Keep
Current Effortlessly Using Automatic Updating
Windows Update is an updating service on Microsoft's Web site that
enables you to obtain fixes and new features for your version of Windows.
Updates are additions to software that can help prevent or fix problems and
improve how your computer works. They are usually small and free of charge.
When Microsoft finds and fixes errors in Windows security they pass the fix
to users via this feature. Windows update analyzes your PC and displays a
list of appropriate downloads for your computer.
The most
reliable way to get updates from Microsoft is to have them delivered
automatically to your computer via the Internet on a scheduled basis.
Automatic updates are a very important part of your overall security. They
keep your computer current with security patches that prevent viruses and
malware from attempting to damage your PC.
It is best
for your computer to check daily for updates. Windows Vista and XP are
preset to update at 3AM. Most of us have our computer turned off at this
time which is fine since it will check for updates and download them in the
background as soon as you go on line. This means that you can continue to
do whatever you want while the update is taking place.
To see if
your Automatic Update is turned on click on the Start Button – choose
Control Panel – Security – Security Center. Locate Automatic Updating in
the Security Center Window that opens. The word ON or OFF will be to the
right of Automatic Updating. If it is turned OFF click on Windows Update –
Change Settings (only in Windows Vista) –Install Updates Automatically
(recommended).
It is VERY
Important for your computer to be up to date so if you are asked, Do you
want to install Microsoft updates, via a message on the right side of the
Task Bar ALWAYS Click Yes
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Click the link to open Google Maps and you can get directions
or find a location.
Just type an address in the Google Bar and click the Search
Maps Button. To get Directions Click the Directions link below where you
previously typed an address. Enter the Start and Destination addresses and
click the Get Directions button.
June 2007
PRINTER
CONTROLS
Sometimes after sending files to a printer,
you findthat nothing's getting
printed, and you need to check out
the printer queue to find out what is or is not going on..
To check out the print jobs in your printer
queue, you need to follow these steps:
1.Open the Printer Queue window
by:
a.
Clicking the START Button
b.Click on
CONTROL Panel
c.DOUBLE
Click on PRINTERS and FAXES.
d.DOUBLE
Click on you Printer ICON
2.After the window with the Print jobs
Queued up for yourprinter opens, you can do any of the
following thingsto the contents:
a.To
Start a PAUSED Printer choose PRINTER then, if there is a Check by Pause
Printing, Click on PAUSE PRINTING to remove it and the printer will start.
b.To temporarily PAUSE
the printing of the documents in theprint queue, choose PRINTER thenPAUSE PRINTING.
c.To REMOVE
a particular file from the print queue,
select it in the list and then click DOCUMENT andCANCEL.
d.To CANCEL
the
printing of ALL the documents, click PRINTER thenCANCEL ALL DOCUMENTS.
3.After you finish reviewing and changing the
settings for the jobs in the print queue, click the Close box on the printer
window.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
If you want to read about and learn about all things
related to plants and gardens, this monthly online gardening magazine is the
right place. Every month they add new articles and "How To" tutorials
so that you can do more with your garden.
May 2007
How Much RAM Memory Does Your
Computer Need?
The term RAM is short for Random Access
Memory. It is where the
programs
that you are using, including Windows, are placed. If RAM is full Windows
moves some of the files, not in use, to a special place on the Hard Drive.
When the computer needs these files it chooses other files in RAM, not
being used, to store and returns the needed files to RAM. Each time more
memory is required this process takes place thus slowing down your PC.
For your PC to run efficiently your RAM should be greater than the amount
requires to run the programs you use most of the time.
In 2000 most computers came with a minimum of
128 Meg of RAM and in 2004 256 Meg was the standard. Today the minimum
is 512 Meg.
To put these numbers into perspective we
checked our desktop PC’s memory changes as we opened various applications.
Just starting our PC required 295 Meg of
RAM. This was to run Windows, the Antivirus program, a Firewall and
necessary drivers for the printer and monitor. Additional RAM
requirements for other applications are:
Internet Explorer & AOL
need 40 Meg.
Each
Microsoft Word
needs 40 Meg.
Microsoft Excel
needs 30 Meg.
Microsoft Outlook
needs 50 Meg.
I-Tunes
needs 50 Meg.
Google Earth
needs 100 Meg.
If you start your PC and open AOL or
Internet explorer you need about 335 Meg. If you also open Google
earth you need 435 Meg. Anything less and your PC starts to crawl.
Some signs to look for, of low Memory, are:
·The Hard Drive light on your PC
is almost always on.
·When you switch screens they do
not come up immediately.
·Screens appear as shades being
SLOWLY pulled down instead of popping up quickly.
We upgraded our four year old computer,
which was running slowly, from 512 Meg of Ram to 768 Meg and saw a big
difference in its performance.
To check your memory on Windows XP click on
Start, click with the right mouse button on My Computer and click on
Properties, (for Windows 98 the My Computer icon is on the Desktop).
The box that appears will list the amount of RAM your PC has.
You can increase your RAM by purchasing
additional memory chips at a local store or online at www.4allmemory.com.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
Move the mouse, and the Fireman follows, to
the fires and press the mouse button to turn on the water. Some of the
buildings may not be visable so you may need to move from side to side to
see all the fires.
When ALL fires are out or your time is up the
round ends. If you think you extinguished all of the fires but the
round did not end you did NOT get them all.
April 2007
Choosing a Digital Camera
Now that you have mastered your computer you
discover that you are behind the times in your picture taking. Everyone
seems to have a digital camera. You want to be in with today’s technology
but where to begin!!!
First Digital cameras come in many shapes and
sizes and have many special features to choose. The more features the camera
has the higher the price it is. The one thing they all have in common is
that they do not use film. The pictures are stored on a memory card in the
camera.
There are some features which we believe are
essential in a camera. It should have a LCD Monitor to take and view your
pictures. It is also helpful, but not essential to have an optical View
Finder to take pictures in Bright light. It should have a built in Flash
to take indoor pictures and an Optical Zoom which allows you to get closer
to your subject and magnify the image. This differs from a digital zoom
which actually crops the original picture making it larger but decreases the
quality of the picture.
Additional features to look for are a
Rechargeable Battery which lasts longer & saves money, an additional Memory
Card ( 128 – 1 gig ) and a Timer Function which enables you to get into your
own picture.
A primary aspect of a digital camera is how
many Megapixals it has. This is the measure of the cameras resolution, where
each megapixel equals approximately 1 million pixels. In English a camera
set to shoot pictures at 3 megapixels will let you clearly print a5x7 inch
picture, where as a 4 megapixel shot will print high quality 8x10 pictures.
You can still print that 8x10 picture with 2 megapixels, however the quality
will not be as good. Thus the higher the resolution the better quality
picture you will get.
Digital cameras come in many shapes, sizes
and prices, so there is something for everyone. Remember when shopping
small is easy to carry but also is easy to lose. Big is harder to carry but
is harder to misplace. Just Right is the size YOU like best.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
This is a
page that lists many Fine Arts Theaters in Ocean County. Live
productions in our neighborhoods. Click on each Theaters name and you
will find detailed information.
If you look on the left of the page
there is a list of other activities in Ocean County such as , Night Clubs
and Museums.
March 2007
Windows Vista – What Is It?
Can You Use It? Do You need it?
At the beginning of February
Microsoft introduced its new Operating System, Windows Vista to the public.
There are three versions of Vista available. If you are a home user the Home
edition would most likely serve all your needs. It is almost exactly like
the
WinXP Home Version in terms
of its capabilities. The desktop has a Vista-inspired color scheme that is
similar to WinXP but it’s most important feature is its enhanced security
and parental controls. In combination with its antispyware and antivirus
software the new Operating System will help users avoid malicious programs.
It allows parents to set limits on what games can be played, what a child
can and can’t run and even when a child can log on to the machine.
Vista Home Premium, can help
you create your own DVD’s and comes bundled with extra games and a photo
management tool. There is also a Business Version, which is geared toward
the corperate world and Vista Ultimate, which maximizes the performance of
3D games, offers premium customer support and exclusive downloadable content
from Microsoft.
If you are thinking about
upgrading there are certain things you need to know. First, Vista may not
run on systems that are more than two years old. To upgrade to the home
version your processor has to run at 800 MHz or better and a graphics
processor capable of displaying Direct X 9 material. Your machine must have
a minimum of 512 MB of Ram. To run Vista Premium you processor needs to run
at 1GHz or better, have a 128MB or better graphics card with DirectX9 and
Pixel Shader 2.0 support. Both versions need at least a 40 GB hard drive
with 15 GB of free space and Internet Access, preferably high speed.
If you are purchasing a new
computer it will come with Windows Vista, and if you are basic user the Home
Edition will probably be right for you. If on the other hand you have a
Laptop or a digital camera then the Home Premium Edition would be a better
choice.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
This page
of the sight shows all Arivals and Departures from Newark Airport.
Click the Arrivals or Departures Tabs, scroll to the Airline Name in the
Left column and view information about your flight. For detailed
information click the Blue links in the Status column. If the flight
is in the air you will see exactly where it is and even its exact air speed.
If you prefer not to scroll for your
flight, click the Flight Tracker Tab and enter the information about your
flight onto the form. Now click Track and the detailed information mentioned
above will appear.
FEBRUARY
2007
What's
All This Path Stuff?
On your
computer, as in a filing cabinet most files( documents, pictures, videos)
are stored in folders and subfolders so we can easily locate them. Computer
files have an address similar to your own home address. When a letter is
mailed to your house, it travels to your country, state, city, street, and
finally to your house number. A computer path does the same thing. It
starts with the letter of the disk drive, the file is stored on, and ends
with the file's name. In between, the path lists all the folders the
computer must travel through to reach the file.
For example,
the path to your My Pictures folder might be like this: It starts from the
computer's hard drive, also known as the C drive, travels through the
Documents and Settings folder, and then goes through your user folder (which
is named however you established it to be, Karen, for example), and then
goes into the My Documents folder. And only then does it reach the My
Pictures folder. The file's name (say you've saved a picture of a 2007
Corvette on your PC) comes last.
The file
path begins with the disk drive the file is located on. To begin the disk
drive letter and colon make up the first part of the path. In our example
that is the C: drive. All the other folders are inside the big C: folder,
so they're listed after the C: part. Windows separates these nested folders
with something called a backslash, or \. The file's name comes last.
Put it all
together, and you get C:\Documents and Settings\Karen\My Documents\My
Pictures \2007 Corvette. That's the official path of the 2007 Corvette
file in Karen's My Pictures folder.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
If you have High Speed Internet Service, DSL or Cable, click the link to go
to Google Video.
Type in something you want to see, Rodney Dangerfield, I Love Lucy etc., and
enjoy.
Google will find a video if it exists and you will enjoy what you see.
For those of you with DialUp service you can also do the same but it can
take several minutes for the video to load and play.
January
2007
Temporary
Files – What Are They???
One of the
procedures we do in order to keep our computers running efficiently is to
delete the temporary files that are on our hard drive. When Windows, or
certain programs run they sometimes create temporary files, which are files
that are created to temporarily store information in order to free up your
computer’s memory for other purposes, or prevent you from losing data. For
example Microsoft Word determines automatically where and when it needs to
create temporary files. The temporary files should only exist during the
current session of Word. When Word is shut down in a normal fashion, all
temporary files should be automatically closed and then deleted, but
unfortunately this is not always the case. Generally there might not be any
reason to worry about all these files in your computer however the temporary
files left behind by the programs accumulate over time and can sometimes
interface with other applications
Whenever
you access the Internet, Temporary Internet files are stored on your
computer. This means when you open a web page it is temporarily saved on
your hard drive so that if you later decide to open the same page again, it
will open a lot faster. A buildup of these files can slow down internet
access. As the list grows it takes longer for the PC to check to see if the
page you want is in the temporary file folder before actually going to the
internet.
It is an
easy chore to clean out your Temporary files by using the computer’s Disk
Cleanup Wizard. Just follow these simple steps. First close all running
programs. Click on the Start button and choose All Programs – Accessories -
System Tools, and Disk Cleanup. The Wizard calculates how much space will
be freed up. The Disk cleanup Window will then appear. Just check the box
in front of Temporary Files and Temporary Internet files and click OK. The
wizard will get rid of the Temporary Internet Files and other temporary
files for you.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
These
photos were taken at Ground Zero, the World Trade Center site in New York,
in September of 2001.
They were
taken by someone named "Ed" who was allowed into the area by a member of the
emergency response crew, at a time when all civilians -- including most
journalists -- were forbidden to enter the area. As a result, these photos
are among the few close-ups ever taken of the World Trade Center site so
soon after the 9/11 attacks.
For those of you who may need supplies, Ink Cartridges etc., you can get
them from Staples via the internet. The cost is the same as the store
and shipping is reasonable if not free.
December 2006
Customizing A Window
When you open a Program, file or
application on your computer you are opening a Window. All Windows
have the same attributes which gives the user control over the Window.
Sometimes when you open a Window
it fills only part of the screen. This is especially frustrating if you
have a small monitor. There is no need for you to strain your eyes as you
can enlarge the Window to fill the screen simply by, double-clicking on its
title bar, that topmost bar along the top of the window. The window leaps up
to fill the screen. To bring the pumped-up window back to normal size,
double-click on its title bar once again. The window shrinks to its former
size, and you can see everything that it was covering up. Another means of
maximizing a Window is by clicking on the window's maximize button, which is
the middlemost of the three little boxes in its top-right corner. At the
same time, the maximize button turns into a restore button; click on the
restore button when you want the window to return to its previous size.
As long as a Window is not
maximized it can be moved around the desktop Position the pointer over the
Title Bar of the Window. Press down on the left mouse button and hold.
Drag the Window to where you want to place it. You will see an outline of
the new location. Release the left mouse button. The window moves to the
new location.
You can also
change the size of a Window, without Maximizing it. Position the pointer
over an edge of the window and it will turn into a double arrow. Drag the
mouse until the outline of the Window displays the size you want. Release
the left mouse button and your Window is now the size you wanted.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
For those of you using the FREE AVG Anti Virus program this link, above,
will get the page to upgrade to the new AVG 7.5 Free Upgrade. Scroll
down to just below where you see WINDOWS and click the link Titled
avg75free_432a861.exe and choose RUN and follow the directions.
November 2006
Help!
My Computer Locked Up
How many
times have you been working on a program and the dreaded LOCKUP occurs.
Your computer is simply not responding to the keyboard and possibly the
mouse. What do you do? First, do not repeatedly click with your mouse
button or press keys on the keyboard because
this will exacerbate the problem.
Sometimes your computer is doing some background processing, which you can
determine by pressing the Caps Lock key on the keyboard. If the Caps Lock
light comes on, then this is probably what is happening and our suggestion
is to wait patiently.
If the Caps
Lock light does not come on then close the no responsive program by holding
down the Ctrl + the Alt Keys and tappingthe delete key once.
This will open the Windows Task Manager. Click on the Applications Tab,
selectby clicking on the
name of the program that you have been working onorany that shows, Not Responding,
and click either Close Program or End Task. Wait for a second box to
appear and click on End Task.
If this does
not work you can try using the key combination on the keyboard of CTRL + ESCor the Windows Key on the keyboard.
This will open the Start Menu. If your mouse is not responding you can use
your arrow keys on the keyboard to move to “Turn Off Computer” and attempt a
normal shutdown.
If all else
fails then you will have to force a shutdown by holding the Start Button.
(the button on the computer you use to start your machine) Keep holding the
button down until the computer shuts off. Be patient as it may take a few
moments. Once the computer has shut down start it up again and shut it down
again in the normal manner via the Start Menu.
If it shuts down properly then all is well again.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
When the Browser Window becomes all WHITE move the mouse to start drawing. Move slow for
wide lines and fast for thin lines. Each click of the mouse button will
change the color of the ink.
When finished you can Print or Save your
Pictures.
Heritage Quest is a site where you can look for information about your
ancestors. Check the US Census from 1790 to 1930, Revolutionary War
data or other Reference data bases.
After the site comes up click on the "Log on from Home" link below the Large
HeritageQuest logo in the center of the screen. Now type in your
Library number from the Bar Code on the back of your Library card.
October 2006
WORD
PROCESSING
Of all
computer applications, word processing is the most common. A word processor
enables you to create a document, store it electronically on a drive, display
it on a screen, modify it by clicking on commands in the menu bar, and print
it on a printer. (Your Email program is actually a mini word processor.) Some
of the functions that make this application so desirable are its ease of:
Inserting text anywhere in the document.
Deleting characters, words, lines, or
pages from a document.
Removing (cut) a section of text from one
place in a document and inserting (paste) it somewhere else.
Copying a section of text and pasting
it in the same document or in another document.
Printing the document to give you a hard
copy.
Customizing the text and changing the color,
size, and font. With a click of the mouse the text becomes
bold, italic,underlined, or centered.
Insertingpictures into a
document, including photographs that have been saved on the computer or the
Internet.
Searching for a particular word or phrase
and directing the word processor to replace one group of characters with
another everywhere that the first group appears. For example, you can direct
the program to find the word you whenever it appears in the document
and automatically change it to we.
Automatically keeps track of page numbers
so that the correct number appears on each page.
Merging text from one file into another
file. For example, you can print out envelopes, using names and addresses
previously typed and saved in the computer from either your word processing
program or another program, such as an address book.
Spell checking the document, Not only
does it let you know when you have misspelled a word, but will give you
suggestions of the correct spelling. All you do is click on the correct
word, click on Change and it is automatically changed in your document.
Printing addresses on labels and
envelopes.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site Listed.
A
fascinating visual journey starting at the Milky Way at 10 million light years
from the Earth. Then move through space towards the Earth until you reach a
tall oak tree in Florida. Now you move from the actual leaf into a microscopic
world that reveals leaf cell walls, nucleus, chromatin, DNA and finally, into
the subatomic universe of electrons and protons.
The AlgonquinArts Theater is
located near by in the town of Manasquan and is a great place to see stage
productions, concerts and movies. They have quality programs for ALL ages.
A short ride to see big city
entertainment.
September 2006
Customizing Your Mouse
The Windows XP operating system gives us the ability to customize our mouse
pointer so that it is easier and more enjoyable to work with our computer. We
can change the speed at which our mouse pointer moves around the screen. The
roles of the buttons can also be switched to suit the left-handed user. The
arrow, hourglass, and other standard mouse pointers can be switched for
different symbols. It all can be accomplished by following simple steps.
To adjust the pointer speed
1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Appearance and Themes. If the setting is for Classic View click on
“Switch to Category View” in the left pane under Control Panel.
3. Under “See Also” in the left panel click Mouse Pointers.
4. On the Pointer Options tab, under Motion, drag the slider left to make the
pointer move slower, or right to make the pointer move faster. Click OK.
If you're left-handed and you'd like to change your mouse to work the way you
do, you can change the setting. This will reverse the function of the two
buttons.
To make your mouse left-handed
1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Appearance and Themes.
3. Under “See Also”, click Mouse Pointers.
4. On the Buttons tab, under Button configuration, click in the “Switch
primary and secondary buttons” check box.
5. Click OK.
To change the appearance ofstandard mouse pointer:
1. Go to Appearance and Themes in the Control Panel.
2. Under See Also in the left pane click Mouse Pointers.
3. Click on the Pointers tab on the top.
4. Click in the Scheme Box A menu will drop down.
5. Click each scheme and preview it in the box to your right.
6. When you find the one you want click on Apply.
7. Click on OK.
Click the Titles below to go to the Web Site
Listed.
This site is www.newlaunches.com
where you can see all new products coming out. Click on the Title Link
and you are taken to a page about a new Personal Helicopter now available for
the cost of a luxury car.
Scroll past the Ads to the article and pictures. The last graphic is a
video that you can start with the button on the left.
You can go to the Home page of the site by clicking the HOME button on the top
right. There you can search for a product by typing in the name in the
Search box on the top right.
This sight is for one of the largest on line suppliers of medical supplies.
I know someone who purchased from this site and was very satisfied. You
can order on line or get a catalog and order by phone or mail.
Check to see if there prices are better than what you now pay and hopfully you
will save money through them.
August
2006
E-mail Manners
E-mail has become an easy way for us to communicate with
family, friends, club members, businessmen etc. This form of communication has
made many Internet users sloppy writers. They use poor grammar, misspelled
words and even shortcuts for words. There are no sentences or paragraphs.
Whatever happened to all that information we learned in school?
Since email has become such an important form of how we
communicate here are some guidelines to follow to make you a more effective
communicator.
Always include a subject line. This will immediately
help the recipient know what the email is about.
Be brief but make sure that you have sentences that
convey your message in a friendly tone.
Treat your message like a mini letter. Make sure you
sign your real name. (not your screen name)
If your email has a spell and grammar check use it
before sending your mail.
When replying to an email, refer to the sender’s
original text.
Use both upper and lower case letters. All caps or lower
case are difficult to read. Using all caps is considered shouting and can be
annoying to read.
Using acronyms such as BTW –by the way, can be confusing
to the recipient especially if they are unfamiliar with them.
Use sentences. Remember a sentence contains both a
subject and a verb.
NEVER send a message you wouldn’t want made public.
Email is not private so be careful what you say.
When forwarding a letter be sure to remove the email
addresses of all recipients which appear in the original letter. Most of us
are concerned about spam and yet we forget that each email we or our friends
forward sends our mail address to people we do not know.
Email has its both pros and
cons. It is a great means of sharing our ideas and thoughts with everyone we
know, however, by taking shortcuts we begin to develop poor writing habits which
can become part of our way of communicating. When writing to someone ask
yourself, “Would this be acceptable to an English teacher?” If not fix it.
Since 1974 Albert Hall has been
the Best Place on the East Coast to Hear Live Country, Bluegrass, & Old Time
Music Concerts
July 2006
PHISHING
Not
long ago we received an email that appeared to come from AOL requesting we enter
our charge card number or have our account closed. This is a computer SCAM
known as PHISHING. Phishing emails all have some common traits. They appear to
come from a legitimate company, using the same graphics you'd expect to see at
that company's site. Second, they try to create a sense of urgency, telling
recipients that their accounts are about to be suspended or are otherwise
experiencing major problems. Third, these emails contain forms or links to forms
where users are supposed to enter personal information, such as an
account ID and or
password or a credit card number. Once you enter the data in the form and click
Submit, it is sent to the scammer's computer and he can use it to steal from
you.
The
Internet has conditioned us to click hyperlinks to open new pages. One of the
main techniques phishing scammers use to lull users into a false sense of
security is to put links in an email that look like they point to a legit
company site when they actually point to a phishing site. Be very aware that
this could be a phishing scam and you should avoid clicking on the link.
If
you are not sure if an Email is a scam, such as from your bank, you can log onto
the site as you usually do, not with the LINK in the Email and see if there is a
message for you in their message section. You can also call the company with a
Number you know belongs to them and ask customer service if the request is
legitimate.
Legitimate companies never ask for personal info via email Scammers rely on
input from you to do their work, so by trusting your instincts and never
responding to emails that ask for personal information you can keep your private
information private.
June 2006
On Line Banking & Bill Paying
To many people the thought of Banking on the Internet seems
very foreign. Before we took the plunge we too had concerns and then we started
using it and we can truly say we Love it.
On Line Banking usually consists of two sections, Accounts
and Bill Paying. In the Accounts section you can transfer funds, check
balances and lookup transactions. This allows you to move money between
Checking, Savings and your Equity line of credit. It also allows you to see
your ATM transactions including when you use the card as a Credit card. If you
misplace a receipt you just look it up on line. you can also view your month
end statement before the paper copy arrives. In the Bill Pay section you
can pay ALL your Bills which saves a lot of time and simplifies your life.
We used to make out checks each week for the bills that
were coming due and mail them during the week. We used about 15 checks and
stamps a month. Now I do all bill paying on-line and neither write checks nor
use stamps. We can even schedule reoccurring payments such as Mortgage,
Homeowner Dues, Electric and Gas Utilities and Automobile leases to be paid
monthly with no input from us. We can even schedule payments weeks or months in
advance. For example take those holiday deals where you buy something and have
a year to pay it off interest free. We schedule the payment to be made 12
months from the entry date so we do not forget and get stuck paying accumulated
interest.
For those of you who travel a lot or spend the winters in
the south 'Bill Pay' allows you to schedule payments in advance and not worry
about missing a payment.
To obtain more information, speak with someone at your
bank, or go to your bank's web site where you can probably see a demonstration
of online banking.
Take the plunge and simplify your life.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
In this site you can type a sentence or two and see how it
sounds when read by synthesized voices. You can choose from sever Male or Female
voices with various accents. In addition you can choose to hear the
sentences in several languages.
Since this is a demo you will only be able to use it around 5
times before it ends. If you sign off the Internet and sign on again
you can get more chances to play.
The site of the Lakewood Blueclaws, a minor league baseball
team associated with the Philly's. A great place to see a game up close
without taking out a second mortgage. The prices are $9 for reserved seats
and $6 for the Lawn with Senior and Junior discounts available. Your grand
children will love it.
May 2006
Anti Virus and Ad-aware for FREE
In February we wrote about doing a Tune Up on your PC. Two
of the items discussed were to protect your PC from Viruses and Spyware. To do
this you must have an Anti Virus and Anti Spyware programs.
In the past you were responsible for purchasing these
programs and paying for annual updates. Recently many Internet Service
Providers started giving them to their customers FREE of charge.
For those of you who have AOL, Comcast and Verizon DSL
these programs can be downloaded for free. Other providers may also offer these
programs free so you should check with your provider.
To get your free protection software From Verizon or
Comcast you should call their Tech Support number and the Technician can guide
you through the installation process.
oClick on the Quick tour button to see a video explaining the
service.
oClick on the Download Now Button and follow the directions
to download and install the programs.
If your Service Provider does not offer free Virus and
Spyware protective software you can use Google to find them. Ones that I can
recommend are Free AVG Anti Virus, for Virus protection and Free Ad-Aware for
Spyware protection.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
Locate the cheapest gas in your area. Open the site then
enter your Zip Code and click Go. A map appears with numbers on it. Scroll
down you will see the stations in order of the lower prices first. The number
of the station refers to the numbered locations on the map.
With summer coming it is time to travel. A nice place to
go to is Newport Road Island to see their historic mansions. Explore 250 years
of American history at the 11 historic properties. See homes built by the Ultra
Rich for their vacation getaways. You can see a bathroom with hot and cold
running Seawater and beautiful gardens.
April 2006
Printing Pictures
Many people do not realize that Windows XP has a very nice
feature for printing pictures. Although we have programs on our computer
that enable us to print the many pictures we take we like the XP features best.
To take full advantage of the Windows XP Picture Tasks
complete the following steps:
vGo to the folder that contains the pictures you want to print.
vClick on the Print Pictures option in the left pane under Picture
Tasks.
oTo help make the task easier the Photo Print Wizard opens. A
Wizard is an application which guides you through the steps of a task. In
this case the task is printing pictures.
vClick on Next at the bottom of the Window.
oThe next window is the point where you select your pictures.
vClick on the Clear All button.
vClick in the little square box, located in the right hand corner
of each picture you want to print.
vClick on the Next button once you have made your choices.
vIn the Printing Options Window click on the Printing Preferences
button.
oThis step enables you to choose the kind of paper you are using
and the quality of the print. For pictures you may want to use the Best quality.
vClick on the OK button when you finished.
vClick on Next
vIn the Layout Selection Window you choose the size of your
pictures.
oUse the scroll bar to view the options available to you. Your
choices are an 8x10, with or without borders, 5x 7’s, 4x 6’s , 3x5’s, wallet
size, and a contact sheet, which displays thirty-five thumbnails. You also
have the choice of printing multiple copies of one picture.
vWhen you have completed this step click on the Next button. Your
pictures will now print.
vClick on Finish.
Using the Picture Tasks to print our pictures is an easy
means of getting the job done. Try it for yourself.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
Spring will be here soon and for
those of you who play tennis here is a site where you can choose and demo new
racquets before you buy. Select 3 racquets that you wish to try and they will
be shipped to you overnight for you to try for a week. Then put them back in
the box and send them back. The shipping cost, what you pay for is around $20.
You can then order a new racquet
from them, strung to your specifications and it will be shipped in a few days.
Their prices are good and when I
did it I found the racquet I thought was my first choice was not for me so I
bought one of the others I tried.
It is time again to do our taxes. Many of you will need
special forms to do so. Click the link above to go to the IRS page where you
can select and print these forms without going to the bank or library.
March 2006
The Apple IPod
Recently we found ourselves the proud owners of an Apple
Ipod. I wasn’t quite sure what I could do with the device but knew it would be
fun to figure it out. The Ipod is a portable music/audio/video player
developed by Apple Computer. Though it is an Apple product, the iPod can be used
with both Macs and PCs. It is about the size of a deck of playing cards and has
from1 Gigabyte to 60 Gigabytes of hard disk storage. The hard drive, as with
the computer is where your data is stored.
When you open your new IPod you install a program, iTunes
library, on the computer. Using this program you put a CD in your CD drive and
copy all or specific tracks into iTunes. Once you have songs in your iTunes
library, connect your iPod to your computer, and iTunes automatically transfers
the music to your iPod. When you add new songs to iTunes, your Ipod is
automatically updated with the new songs I can now enjoy exercising while
listening to my favorite songs via earphones.
Once I realized how easy it is to transfer music I decided
to continue to explore the IPod’s possibilities. I discovered that for $30 I
can purchase an FM adapter that plugs into my IPod on one end and the car’s
cigarette lighter the other and listen through the radio’s speakers. I can
purchase a docking station that can also be hooked up to a stereo system or
powered speakers. And if that wasn’t enough I discovered podcasts which
are radio shows or other audio programs that are often episodic and are
downloadable over the Internet. From news and information to music and
commentary, thousands of new podcasts are available everyday, from around the
world, on every subject you can imagine.
With my IPod I can purchase and download individual songs
or whole albums from the Internet, store and view my pictures (I no longer need
to carry them in my wallet) watch videos, copy and store documents from my
computer, listen to audio books downloaded off the Internet or copied from CD’s,
and transfer data from my computer. What will someone think of next? The
possibilities seem endless.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
For those of you who need computer supplies delivered to your home
try Stapels.com. At this site you can order anything Staples sells, such as Ink
Cartridges, and have it delivered in a day or two.
Located in Ocean county this is a
zoo for rescued animals.
Located on 7 acres in New
Jersey's beautiful Pinelands, Popcorn Park offers an environment of safety,
wonderful care, and peace to its residents, a diverse array of animals
unfortunate enough to need a rescue, but lucky enough to wind up here.
A great place to take the
Grand Children or visit on your own.
FEBRUARY 2006
Computer Tune-Ups
Over the years our
students have complained about their computer’s slowing down over a period
of time. It takes longer to start, switch between tasks and access the
Internet. Most people don’t realize that like a car your computer needs
periodic tune-ups. Once we have tuned it up for them it runs quicker and
more efficiently.
Having access to the Internet
opens up so many wonderful opportunities for us to learn, have fun, and keep
in touch with friends and family, however the internet exposes our computer
to many elements that cause problems with the computer’s operating system.
These problems can ultimately slow down your computer and can compromise
your privacy. Having an anti-virus and spyware program on your machine is a
must, but even with these programs problems still occur.
The first step to better
performance is to establish an ongoing maintenance routine that includes:
Weekly spyware scans.
Weekly disk cleanup of
temporary files
Monthly virus scan
Yearly defragmentaion of your
hard drive
.Such a routine not only keeps
your PC running smoothly, but it also ensures that it benefits fully from
any additional steps you take to enhance its performance.
Set your computer to receive
automatic updates from Microsoft. Microsoft regularly releases bug patches,
security enhancements, and feature add-ons for its various products and will
upload them to your computer free of charge.
Many software developers
design their programs to load automatically each time Windows starts and may
continue to run in the background. Deleting these files from the
Configuration file folder expedites your boot up process and can enhance the
machines performance.
AND TURN IT OFF. Some
users go for weeks without rebooting, Shutting down your PC every evening
not only saves electricity, it also refreshes system memory and reduces
memory-related system drag, which means a slower machine.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
Thousands
of candidates and elected officials. Who works for you? Who is seeking your
vote? Project Vote Smart, a citizen's organization, has developed a Voter's
Self-Defense System to provide you with the necessary tools to select who
will serve you best.
Enter, on
the left side, your Zip Code or the name of the candidate or elected
official to find out more about him or her.
Full Screen is the term given to a movie that has
been formatted to show on a Full TV screen.
Letterbox is the term for watching a movie as it
was viewed in the theatre. On a TV the Letterbox format has black areas
above and below the picture because the film is wider than tall.
This site shows you what you miss when you watch a
movie in Full Screen as opposed to Widescreen. The link takes you to a
comparison of The Sound of Music movie.
When you buy your next TV you will be better
equipped to choose between which screen is best for you, full or widescreen
model.
JANUARY 2006
Beyond the Basics
In last month’s article we listed what we consider to be the
necessary Basic components you would look for when purchasing a new computer.
This month we go beyond the Basics and discuss the benefits of an option to
the basic system that will increase the overall performance of your computer,
which are separate Video and Sound cards.
Generally basic PC’s come with SHARED Video and Sound. The
main board of the Computer, which is called the Mother Board, has hardware
built into it that produces Videos and Sound. It uses the computer’s RAM
Memory ( main memory) to accomplish this and leaves less memory for your
programs to use. It also means the Central Processing Unit (CPU), which is
the brains of the computer, is responsible for doing all the additional work
for these items thus slowing down the computer’s speed. There are two
upgrades that can reduce the workload of the CPU thus speeding it up, and
increase the usable memory. These are separate Video and Sound cards.
Video
Cards
A VideoCard relays graphics received from the
programs and
applications
running on your
computer to
the monitor which enables you to view the images on your screen. It includes
both its own memory and a processor. The memory is reserved for storing
graphical images which frees the computer’s memory for other applications.
A graphics processor is specially designed for computing
graphical images and it can achieve faster graphics results than the
general-purpose CPU used by the computer.
Having a separate video card thus reduces the workload on the
PC’s main CPU and frees up memory, so the computer's memory does not have to
store or process all the graphics. The end result is
your computer will operate faster.
Sound
Cards
A separate Sound Card improves the sound quality and reduces
CPU usage. Adding a Sound Card means superior audio fidelity. If you
frequently enjoy listening to music or want the richest sound possible, you
should consider purchasing a premium sound card. The additional cost will be
between $20 and $60.
In summary the Video card will improve your internet experience
with faster processing of web sites and the Sound card will improve the
quality of the music you listen to from your computer.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
If you are
buying a new vehicle you should know as much as possible before you sit with
a sales person. This site can tell you the retail and dealer cost including
options of ALL new vehicles. You can also find out the value of your
present vehicle if you plan on trading it in or selling it privately.
If you plan
on buying or Selling a used vehicle you will find out how much you will pay
or get at a dealer
or from a private party.
The Used Car
prices factor in mileage, the area you live in and vehicle options.
Here is a
site that sells memory upgrades for ALL computers. Compare prices to
your PC Manufacturer before you buy.
If you have a
PC with 128 Mg or less you should add an additional, 256Mg or 512 Mg,
whichever you can afford. The more memory you have the faster your PC will
run.
There are 3
ways to find the memory you need:
Click here
& choose your manufacturer then the model you have.
Click here
for the site to check your PC and recommend the right memory
(you may be asked to install a file to do this.
I did and it worked fine. If you prefer not to use options 1 or 3)
Click here to type in your system and search for the memory.
Memory boards
can be installed by the user. If you are not able to do it yourself we
can do it for you.
DECEMBER 2005
What
Should I Look for in a PC
We get many
calls from our students who are purchasing a new computer and are confused
with all the choices. With PC’s ranging in price from under $300, without a
monitor, to several thousands it can be confusing to choose one. Our goal is
to explain the difference between various systems starting with the basic PC.
Computers are
like cars. The least expensive model comes with smaller engines, fewer
standard features and fewer options. The top model has the most power, the
most standard features and the most options.
THE
BASIC SYSTEM (by the numbers)
CPU speed –
2.4 M Hz
RAM Memory
– 256 Mg
Storage,
Hard Drive – 40 Gig
Monitor –
TV type 17” (you can use one from an old system)
Drives –
DVD Readers
Other
Hardware – Modem
Peripherals
- Printer, Speakers (you can use them from an old system)
Software –
Word Processing program.
UPGRADES TO
THE BASIC SYSTEM
RAM Memory
– 512 Mg (will help speed up the PC)
Storage,
Hard Drive – 80 Gig (if you do digital photography.)
Monitor
–Flat Panel type 15” or 17” (Can be used on your next system also.)
Drives – CD
burner and or DVD Burner.
Other
Hardware – All in One Printer, Scanner, Copier.
Additional
expenses for all systems are Taxes, ( $25-$60), Shipping, ($30-$100 if you buy
on line) and Installation, ($100-$200) if you cannot do it yourself.
Due to the
rapidly changing Personal Computer, technology any System you buy today will
most likely need to be replaced in 5 years. For this reason we recommend that
you calculate the yearly amount you are willing to pay for a system and keep
the cost to 5 times that amount. For example if you are comfortable with
investing $200 a year you would spend around $1,000 for your new system.
Next month we
will review higher priced systems with additional features.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
An online Jigsaw Puzzle where you
choose the level of difficulty from a simple 6 piece cut to a challenging 247
piece cut. Just point to one of the Puzzle Pictures at the top of the page
and chose the number of pieces from the list that drops down.
Give your PC a FREE check-up!
HouseCall thoroughly scans your computer for viruses, spyware, and known
security vulnerabilities. This FREE service demonstrates the power of Trend
Micro technologies in a fast and easy solution. Check for
latest virus alerts.
Great for
those of you who have no Virus programs or those that are out of date.
NOVEMBER 2005
The USB Flash Drive
Have you ever wanted to copy some of your friends or
family’s pictures to your PC, or bring pictures of your new grandchild or last
vacation with you to show to others? What you need is a USB Flash Drive.
A USB flash drive, also known as a jump drive, keychain
drive or memory stick, which looks very much like an ordinary highlighter marker
pen, can be used in place of a floppy disk or CD for data backup. The flash
drive is plugged into a computer’s
USBport and
functions as a portable
hard drive.
Its storage capacity ranges from 8 MB to 2 gigabytes, It is easy-to-use, small
enough to be carried in your pocket and can plug into any computer with a USB
port.
When you plug the drive into the USB port, the computer's
operating system recognizes it as a removable drive and assigns it a drive
letter that is preceded by the words removable disk. With a flash drive
data can be retained for long periods when it is removed from the computer, or
when the computer is powered-down with the drive left in. This makes the Flash
drive convenient for transferring data between computers or for short-term
backup of small to moderate quantities of data.
Transferring information from the hard drive using Windows
XP to the Flash Drive can be done quickly and easily. Plug the flash drive into
the USB port. Next click on the file you want to transfer, in the left pane
under file and folder tasks click on copy this file. A dialogue box will
appear. Click on the listing for the removable USB drive and click on OK. The
file is then copied to the Flash Drive.
The Flash Drive is a great device for transferring data. We recommend however
that if you have a version of Windows other then Windows XP you check the
information on the package to make sure that the Flash Drive is compatible with
your computer, as older versions of Windows may not have a driver to support the
device.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
More than 20 bed and breakfast inns, guesthouses, hotels
and churches open their doors and share their charm, holiday cheer. Find out
the full details of this grand night out including where to buy advanced
tickets.
OCTOBER 2005
Special Function Keys
Do you ever wonder what all those extra keys on your
keyboard do. Each special function key ( F1, F2, CTRL etc) performs distinct
tasks in different programs or in Windows itself. For example no matter what
program you are working in pressing the F1 key will bring up the Help command.
If you use Internet Explorer as your browser there are
keystrokes that you can use to speed up your Internet browsing. This applies to
those who use Broadband or DSL, however these functions do not work if you are
using the AOL browser.
When typing in the name of a web address such as the NY
Times you would normally type www.nytime.com . To shorten the time you spend
typing the web address you can type the middle part of the website address in
the Address bar, which in this case would be nytimes and then press the
Ctrl+Enter keys simultaneously. Internet Explorer immediately puts an
http://www. on the front, and a .com on the back. Internet Explorer knows to
look for
http://www.nytimes.com.
Sometimes when you are trying to access a website Internet
Explorer seems to be looking for it but it never opens the site. You can either
sit or wait until you get tired or you can try pressing Ctrl+F5 keys
simultaneously. This forces Internet Explorer to go out and get the latest copy
of the current page and bring it up on your screen. Hopefully this will save you
a lot of frustrating moments.
When on an Internet site you can scroll up or down by using
the up and down arrows on the keyboard. If you press the CTRL key in
conjunction with the Home key you will immediately get to the beginning of the
website and the CTRL key with the End key will get you to the end of the site.
Next time you are on your computer test the water and see
if these shortcuts work for you.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
View the Planets or their Moons
from this NASA Site. You can zoom in closer or zoom out. You can also pick how
they look on a specific day and from different Space Vehicles.
A great place to surf and find everything there is to know
about Ocean County. Link to the Calendar of Events, discover the history and
view Maps of Ocean County. Go to the About The County page for an Index of
Departments and Agencies along with information about each city, including,
Population, Median Age and Maps.
SEPTEMBER 2005
eBay – Your On Line Auction
If you are looking for a new means
of buying and selling goods then look no further then
www.eBay.com your online AUCTION. eBay has become a cultural phenomenon for
those with access to a computer. It now boasts more than 100 million registered
users from around the world. No matter what you are looking for, from cars to
everyday household items to collectables there is a good chance you will find it
at eBay. This article is to help you get through the essentials of purchasing
products through this site.
The first thing you have to do
before actually starting a bid or purchase is to set up a personal account with
information which includes your name, telephone number, email, and address. You
then create an eBay user name and a password. Once you have set up your
account you can start looking for products. If you have a specific item in mind
you can use the Search tool to locate it. Once you have found something you
would like to bid on you can look to the right of the product’s link to see the
current bid amount, number of bids, and the amount of time left in the auction.
If you are certain you want the product and don’t want to risk losing to someone
else with a higher bid you can also look for a Buy It now price which means the
seller is willing to sell it immediately at a predetermined price. You may pay
a higher price then if you compete by bidding but you may also lose the
product. If you decide to place a bid click the item’s link to see a detailed
description and then click Place Bid. You’ll see the current bid, and in most
cases you’ll see the bid increments ( such as $2.00) . If the auction ends
before anyone tops your bid, you win the item.
Your next step is to pay for the
item. eBay gives you the option to create a PayPal account. You can register
by going to
www.paypal.com. You will have to give a credit card number information with
PayPal. This is one of the safest ways to pay for eBay auction products, just
make certain that the credit card is backed by fraud protection. If the seller
accepts PayPal you simply use this account. Some sellers however will only
accept a personal check or money order. You can always email the seller in case
you have any questions about the transaction.
The last thing to do is wait for
delivery and enjoy your new purchase.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
The New Jersey Department of
Transportation uses cameras on state highways to help traffic flow as
efficiently and safely as possible and to handle emergencies.
See the traffic conditions on many
New Jersey roads from these cams.
This site fills you in on everything happening at the museum.
See the calendar of events and view the exhibits. You can also browse the
Museum store and make purchases.
It is ALMOST like being there.
AUGUST 2005
Making Your Multimedia
Editing Programs Run Faster
Everything these days is digital
-- digital video cameras, digital still-shot cameras, digital audio recorders,
digital mixers, and so on. All that digital equipment stores tons of information
and can plug into your computer. Everyone wants to store, edit, play, and share
all that digital information. New software is appearing all the time, promising
the ability to slice and dice multimedia information 12 ways to Sunday.
The problem with having all that
digital information on your computer, of course, is that the files created for
digital multimedia are huge, huge, huge! Many things can affect the size of
multimedia files, including quality, resolution, and audio or video speed.
CD-quality audio can take 3MB of disk space per minute. Video throws the storage
needs through the roof: every second of video can require 6MB of file space or
360MB per minute. That is huge!
Say that you shoot one hour of
digital video of your parents' 60th anniversary. You get everything -- the grand
entrance, the arrival of the siblings, the arrival of your aunts and uncles, the
arguments, everything. Let's see; 1 hour is 3,600 seconds, or anywhere from 13
to 22GB of data. Ack! Just for a single event!
As you can imagine, programs that
allow you to process such huge files can place quite the burden on your computer
system. Top-notch programs push the envelope, trying to squeeze all the
performance out of your system that they can.
The following points are the best
ways to speed up those programs:
·Make sure you have lots and lots and
lots of RAM in your computer. The more memory you can install, the better. If
your motherboard can handle it, install 1GB or more of RAM. Windows XP can
handle the added memory just fine.
·Make sure you have enough Hard Disc
space to save the project. That means for 1 hour video at least 13 to 22 Gig of
free space. You can check this by opening My Computer and pointing to or
clicking on your Hard Drive Icon. The information will appear at the pointer or
on the left of the window.
·Make sure you're using the fastest video
card you can, along with a fast hard drive designed for multimedia use. Yes,
they do make hard drives just for multimedia use. If you have one of these
babies, you won't be sorry when it comes time to processing gigabytes of data.
Click the Titles below to go to
the Web Site Listed.
This is a humorous satire about those letters we all get to
forward to several people or be doomed to bad luck. Not only is it funny but it
is factual, except for the end. Turn up your volume learn and enjoy.
Hopefully it will stop some of those annoying E-Mails.
On the Left are Links to the games and on the Right are the
descriptions of each game.
Copycat is the old kids game SIMON. Colors flash
and you must copy the pattern when the flashing stops. Great for improving your
Memory.
Start here then try the others.
JULY 2005
Addresses and Searches
The purpose of this article is to explain how to type web and
E-Mail Addresses and Search criteria. When do you use Capitals, Spaces and
Periods.
Web Address – (1-www) (4-.) (2-site name) (3-com)
A Web Address consists of 4 parts and all 4 parts are in Lower
Case letters with NO SPACES unless specified:
1.www = World
Wide Web and is the first part of the address
2.The Site Name
= The actual name of the Site - thetutors, google, Yahoo, barnesandnobel etc.
3.The Extension
= This last part indicates whether the site is a Company (com), Organization
(org), Government Agency (gov), Military branch (mil) etc. s
4.Dot = A
Period. This separates the other part
E-Mail Address – (1-thetutors) (2-@) (3-aol.com)
An E-Mail address consists of 4 parts also
1.Recipiants
Name = in our case ‘thetutors’.
2.At sign = @
3.Address of
Recipiant = the internet provider – aol.com, Comcast.net, optonline.com,
Verizon.net, etc.
All parts are in lower case letters, unless specified, and with
NO SPACES
Web Searches – In Google, Yahoo or any other
Search Engine
If you ever wondered what day of the week you were born or what
your birthstone is this site will tell you. In addition you can findout what is
expected of you and your birth tree.
The site is easy to use and may answere some questions you had
about your birthday.
Here is a chance to see how what we see sometimes deceives us.
It is an easy test to take and you may be surprised to see the results. I was!
JUNE 2005
Freecycle Turns Your Junk into Treasures
We can’t count how many times we have wanted to give
something away and could not find anyone who wanted to take it. At long last we
found a way to recycle stuff we no longer need. There is a website called
www.freecycle.org. which consists of hundreds of thousands of individuals
worldwide. They are giving and receiving items in their own towns and cities.
It’s free to join and everything offered on the Freecycle network is free,
legal, and appropriate for all ages. If you have something you want to get rid
of , or something you want to acquire, Freecycle can help connect you with
others in Ocean township.
Their mission as stated on the site is to build a worldwide
gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden
on our landfills while enabling members to benefit from the strength of a larger
community.
When you enter the site you are given the option to join as
a member in a community.
To sign up for a Freecycle™ Yahoo group, you choose your
region, which for us is the Northeast. You then find the closest Freecycle™
group to your location. Click on the area, which for us is Ocean County and you
will be taken to the website of your freecycle group. If you choose to join you
will be instructed to sign up for a Yahoo account if you do not have one. Once
you have completed registering for the account you can immediately go to your
group to see what merchandise is available or being requested. If you find an
article you are interested in obtaining you click on the article and can then
send an email to its owner. You can also post a message if you have an item
you want to give away.
What a great way to rid yourself of those old computers,
monitors, and printers. Just make sure if you are giving a computer away to
ERASE, not just DELETE, all the data on the Hard Drive.
When you delete a file, from your Hard Drive, windows just
erases the ‘Bookmark’ that tells it where the file is stored. The actual file
stays on the drive until other data overwrites it. Eraser overwrites deleted
files several times with random data so that no trace of your original files
exist.
If you plan to give your old computer away you MUST use Eraser,
or any other File Shredder to completely remove the personal files you deleted
and protect yourself against Identity Theft.
To download this FREE File Shredder click the link above and:
·Scroll down and click on the Preferred Mirror - (unc
(US) )
·Scroll up and click on the link in the Download column by (Chapel Hill, NC )
Here is a site that lets you bowl without leaving home. You
even get to pick your shoes. A fun site to pass a few minutes or hours just
having fun.
MAY 2005
What are
Cookies
Cookies are messages that a Web server transmits to a Web
browser, (the software application on your computer used to locate and display
Web pages) so that the Web server can keep track of your activity on a specific
Web site. This also helps with quick logins on your favorite sites. The
cookie information is entered into the memory of the browser. The browser in
turn stores the cookie information on the hard drive so when you go on the
Internet at a later date the cookie information is still available.
Web sites use cookies for several different reasons.
They collect demographic information about who is visiting
the Web site. Sites often use this information to track how often visitors come
to the site and how long they remain on the site.
Cookies personalize the user's experience on the Web site.
They can help store personal information about you, such as your name. If you
have ever returned to a site and have seen your name mysteriously appear on the
screen, it is because on a previous visit you gave your name to the site and it
was stored in a Cookie so that when you returned you would be greeted with a
personal message. Some on line shopping sites keep track of what you purchase
and what items you search for and stores that information in cookies. When you
reenter the site recommendations of items will be given to you based on previous
purchases.
Web sites can monitor their advertisements. They will often
use cookies to keep track of what ads they let you see and how often you see
them, using this information to create a profile of the user's tastes and
interests. With this profile in hand the Web server can select advertising that
is likely to be of interest to the user. It can also use this information to
compile valuable feedback for other Web sites, providing them with audience
profiles and rating the effectiveness of the advertisements.
The home of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Play games to test
your IQ and Memory. See videos of the amazing Rubber Man, Fire Eater and more.
Find the Ripley’s Museum nearest you and crack the combination to the vault to
see the attractions. A fun site with plenty to do for all ages.
Want a fast way to get your Auto Registration renewed? From
this page you can start the process. You must have the form the Department Of
Motor Vehicles sent you with the required PIN number.
Click the 'Begin Online Registration Renewal' button at the
bottom of the page and follow the steps to see if you are eligible and if so to
renew on line.
You can also click the link on the left for their Home page and
other Motor Vehicle information.
APRIL 2005
DELETING FOLDERS, FILES AND PROGRAMS
Over time our computers get filled up
with Programs we never use and files we no longer need. If you are looking to
clean up your hard drive then look no further. An important point to know is
that Files, (documents, pictures, data, etc.), and Programs (Word, Picture It,
Weather Bug, etc) are removed differently.
To remove a
file you locate the folder it is in and just Delete it. For example you have a
document which you created in Word called “My Letter” that is located in the My
Documents folder. For XP users click on Start on the Taskbar and click on My
Documents and for those with older versions of Windows double click on the My
Documents Icon on your Desktop. Find the file to be deleted, click once on it to
select it and press the Delete Key once. When asked if you want to send the
file to the Recycle Bin click Yes and your file is removed. There is one
important rule to remember when deleting files. If the file is OPENED you
cannot Delete it, so make sure the file is CLOSED.
If you want
to delete All of the files in a particular folder you can select the folder and
delete it as you would an individual file. Deleting Folders removes everything
in the folder.
The process
for deleting a Program is entirely different. In Windows program installations
include placing Icons to open the program in several places like the Desktop,
Task Bar, Tray and Start Menu. Other files associated with the program may be
placed in other locations. When you choose to remove a program you will want
all of these Icons, and associated Files, to also be removed. To do this we
must reverse the original Installation process and Uninstall the program, not
just delete it.
To uninstall
a program click on the Start button on the taskbar, click on the Control Panel
then click on Add Remove Programs. In the Add or Remove Programs dialog box
scroll to the program to be uninstalled and click on it to select it.. Click the
remove button on the right and the process is started. If you are asked whether
you wish to remove a Shared file, one that may be used by other programs, select
the NO option. This will eliminate possible problems with those other programs
if indeed the shared file is necessary for other programs sharing that file to
run properly.
You know what your house looks like from the inside, front and
back. But what does it look like from above? Enter your address and find out.
The pictures can be five to seven years old, depending on where you live. If
you live in a fast-growing city, you may only see a parcel of land where your
house is. It's kind of cool to see what your childhood neighborhood looks like
now.
Bartleby.com E-book Store launched in partnership with
Amazon.com’s unique honor payment system based on the success of Stephen King’s
e-book experiments. You can download classics by Henry James, Samual Clemens,
or Edgar Allen Poe free of charge.
MARCH 2005
Changing Your
Desktop Background in Windows
If you are like me you probably prefer to see something
interesting as your background on your computer’s desktop. Since I have 3
grandchildren I alternate their pictures which is what I see as my background
first thing in the morning when I open my computer.
There are several ways of getting new pictures to appear
as your desktop background.
If you have pictures saved in your computer you can set
them as your desktop background as I do. .You can save personal pictures in
your computer through a digital camera, scanner, or from downloading from your
email. I save all my Pictures in the My Pictures folder. This makes it easy to
locate them. Once you have saved the picture click on Start – My Pictures.
For Windows XP users click on the picture to select it and click on Set as
Desktop Background which is located in Picture Tasks to the left of your
pictures. For all other Windows users try clicking on the picture with the right
mouse button. A menu will appear. Click on Set As Desktop Background or
Wallpaper with the left mouse button. (the one you usually use.) The selected
picture will now become your background.
A second place to locate pictures is in the Display
Properties window. Move your pointer to an empty space on your desktop and
click with the right mouse button. A menu will appear. Click on Properties
with the left mouse button. Click on the Desktop tab on the top of the Window.
A list of pictures will be visible. As you click on each one their image will
appear above the list. Click OK when you find the one you want.
The Internet is a third place you can look for pictures to
set as your background. If you see a picture on a Website that you like move
the pointer over it and click with the right mouse button instead of the left
button. A menu will drop down. One of options will be Set As Background. Click
on the option with the left button and your background will change to that
picture.
Just remember why most of us moved here when working with
your computer. Use it to enhance your life. Relax and enjoy it. Customizing
the background is just fun.
Have you ever been confused about which software to buy? Have you spent hours
online or at the store trying to decrypt the marketing mumbo jumbo? This
site provides in-depth product reviews and comparisons so you never have to
wonder again. And you can buy the software from them if you want to.
February
2005
In September 2000 a valuable Web Site was launched by the
Clinton administration. It is the official gateway to hundreds of thousands of
federal, state, and local Web sites. The site,
www.FirstGov.gov
links users to over 25 million Web pages, which means you can spend hours
browsing around or just obtain information that is important to you.
The home page is sensibly laid out and easy to follow.
There is a section called Get It Done Online, which is a list of tasks you can
accomplish, often without leaving your home. These include such chores as
finding government benefits, renewing your driver’s license, applying for Social
Security, filing for a passport, or even paying a parking ticket on line. You
can change your address with the Post Office; request your mail be forwarded to
another address or access Zip Code lookup to find any zip code in the country.
The site gives us information on more than a dozen
extensive categories, including Benefits and Grants, Health and Public Safety
and Law. With identity theft and online fraud on the rise you can take a look
at the Consumer Protection section and get list of subtopics such as how to
obtain a free Credit Report.
For those interested in our laws and freedoms you can read
the full texts of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Gettysburg Address.
If you want to voice your own opinion you can find phone numbers, email
addresses and contact information for government officials from your home town
mayor to President Bush.
For the Grandchildren, there are kids sites on the election
process, and links to information about our government, written for kids. Other
sites for youngsters include information from the FBI on Internet safety,
American history, Health, Art, and Music.
Learn all about what is happening in New Jersey (or any
other state), from homeland security to arts and recreation. You can check out
the state Photo Galleries for images of Amish farmers in Delaware or bald eagles
in Minnesota.
This site is great to bookmark (save as a favorite), for
easy retrieval so that all these wonderful services are just a click away.
This is a great site
for those who like word games. It's a family-friendly site that sticks to
dictionary words. It contains 32,400 free crossword puzzles so you could do one
a day for 88 years and still not run out! You start with a 12x12 word grid or
move up to the 18x18 version. Tools include a puzzle solver just in case you get
stuck
The Google Language
Tool allows you to conduct searches in specific countries or languages. It even
translates text and Web pages--provided it's one of the languages made
available. Read Chinese Web sites in English or convert German text into
Spanish. Just for giggles, set your Google home page to Klingon, Pig Latin or
Elmer Fudd language and start "feewing wucky."
Tip
For AOL users be aware that AOL now offers a free McAfee antivirus
program to all its customers. Go to Keyword and type in antivirus. From here you
can download your free version
January
2005
Files and Folders
Your computer’s
hard drive stores an enormous amount of data or information. It is very
important that all of the data is well organized. That way it is easy for the
computer to find what it is looking for. Knowing how a computer's organization
system works will help you to find what you are looking for. Computers use files
and folders to organize data.
Files are stored on
your hard drive. Computer
files come in different types - text files, graphic files, program files, email
files, etc. Files can be created or
loaded by you or downloaded from the internet..When you write a letter you create a text file. When you transfer a
picture from your digital camera to your computer you have a graphic file. When
you download music off the internet or copy it from a CD you have an audio file.
All of these files are Data files. Data files require programs to open them.Therefore if you download a file form an email attachment and cannot open
it you now know that you do not have a program that will recognize and open this
file. For example if you did not have a graphic program on your computer and you
received a picture you would not be able to see it until you installed a program
to open it.
You can do lots of
things with files - create them, name them, rename them, save them, view them,
print them copy them, move them or delete them. They can be looked at, edited,
printed, and listened to.
Files are named so
that you know what type of file it is just by looking at the abbreviation or
extension behind the name. A period is used to separate the name from the type
of file it is.For example, a text
file is shown as name.txt, an Adobe
Acrobat file is name.pdf,. graphic
files can have .gif, .jpg.or bmp extensions, .wave
for audio files, .doc for
Microsoft Word files, .xls for
Microsoft Excel files, and .pst for
Microsoft Outlook files.
With so many
thousands of files stored inside a computer, it is very important to keep them
organized. Folders keep files organized by grouping them together. Think
of your Hard Drive as a filing cabinet in your office.The files are all the papers that you want to save and locate quickly.The first thing you do is purchase manila folders and label them.You then file your papers in the appropriate folders. You continue to
organize your filing cabinet and end up with folders that contain similar kinds
of information For example all your medical information might be put in a folder
that you called Medical.As in a
filing cabinet your computer is set up to store similar files in specific
folders. Many times, the computer
will automatically store files in certain folders in order to keep itself
organized. Windows generally stores all your Text files in My Documents,
pictures in My Pictures, and music in My Music.As you get more knowledgeable you can create new folders to store your
files in an even more organized fashion.
Understanding the
relationship between files and folders, and how they are addressed and located
within your computer system is good to know. Beginners should make an effort to
learn about this early in their computer education.
Have you ever
been confused about which software to buy? This site provides in-depth
product reviews and comparisons so you never have to wonder again.
After entering the
site click on the link to the review you want. You may have to scroll to
the topic you are looking for.
Tip
Customizing Your
Media Experience
In Windows XP you can
customize which programs or applications you want different types of CDS to open
in. For instance you can set music CDs to always open in Windows Media Player or
picture CDs to open in Photoshop. To perform this task click on Start.Move the pointer over My Computer and click with the Right button.Click on Properties from the menu which appears and click on the Auto play
tab.
You'll find a
drop-down menu for different types of CDs: Music Files, Pictures, Video files,
Blank CD, etc. Select one and you'll see options for that type. For example,
select "Music Files" and you'll find all your media players listed in
the lower window. Pick one and your music files will always open in that
program.
You can also choose
"Take no action" or select the "Prompt me each time to choose an
action" radio button.
Stop
Third Party Toolbars
Have you ever been
surfing along when suddenly you find that somewhere on your journey you picked
up an extra toolbar? Many of these (Hotbar for instance) are adware that sends
targeted pop-ups. Sometimes you can go to Add/Remove Programs and delete them
there, but how about an easier way to get rid of them AND prevent them from
getting there to begin with.
NOTE: If you are
using a friendly toolbar like those from Google or Yahoo, you don't want to
follow this tip.
Click on Start –
Control Panel"Internet
Options". Click the "Advanced" tab then scroll down. Underneath
"Browsing" you'll find a checkbox that says "Enable third-party
browser extensions". Uncheck this box and press "OK" to close the
dialog box.
After you reset your
computer the extra toolbars and buttons should be gone.
