October 1998 IN THIS ISSUE:
Explore With Ease As You Were! No More Right Clicking Shortcuts To Email Recipients (Netscape) Shortcuts To Email Recipients (IE 4.0) Refreshing the Registry Instant Screen Saver Compress Your Email Stretching Frames Drag and Drop onto Internet Explorer FEATURE STORY: Tackling Information Overload ...also... Attention All Newbies! Zines, Zines and More Zines Learning On the Fly The Armchair Millionaire Treasures in the Attic Boost Your Browser Evaluating Online Resources (online tutorial) Shakespeare and Seinfeld All the World's a Stage Long Distance Savings The sites referred to in this newsletter are only a few of the thousands that exist on any specific topic. We suggest these few, simply to GET YOU STARTED. Future issues of this newsletter may revisit related noteworthy sites. 1. Explore With Ease If you don't have a MS Natural Keyboard, chances are that the one you're using still has some of the same functionality. To quickly start and Explorer simply press the Windows key (usually to the left and/or right of the ALT keys, aka WinKey) and the letter E. Back to Table of Contents 2. As You Were! Resizing and repositioning your windows every time you do something can get really cumbersome. To avoid this and save some time, simply hold down the Ctrl key while closing the window(s). This should save its position and size. Back to Table of Contents 3. No More Right-clicking As you master your keyboarding skills you might find it faster to press Shift+F10. This shortcut produces the same result as right-clicking your mouse. This will work in any program and bring up the associated right-click options. Back to Table of Contents 4. Shortcuts To Email Recipients (Netscape) If you use Netscape and Messenger as your email client, you're going to love this tip. Bookmark your email addresses to quickly send mail by following these steps:
5. Shortcuts To Email Recipients (IE 4.) IE users that utilize the Active Desktop can create shortcuts to email recipients and send mail right from the Start menu. Follow these steps:
Back to Table of Contents 6. Refreshing the Registry If you've installed new software or have made changes that will affect the Registry, you usually have to reboot your system. Well now you don't have to! Quickly update the Registry by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del. Select Explorer from the list that appears and then click End Task. When you're asked to shut down, answer No. Wait a few seconds for the next dialogue box and again click End Task. This will refresh the Registry without having to completely reboot Windows 95. Back to Table of Contents 7. Instant Screen Saver If someone enters the room and you want to hide what you're working on, or if you just want to quickly activate your screen saver as you leave your computer, try this: Open Explorer and select the Windows/System folder. Make sure you are viewing the files in detail (click View then Details). Now click once on the Type column and scroll down to Screen Savers. Select your screen saver by right-clicking it and drag it onto your Desktop. Let go of the mouse button and select Create Shortcut Here. Now all you have to do is double-click the shortcut and presto! Back to Table of Contents 8. Compress Your Email Save valuable disk space by compressing your email folders. If your mail client doesn't do this automatically, execute these steps. In Netscape Messenger, click the File menu and select Compress Folders. In Outlook Express, highlight your folder(s), click File, select Folder then Compact. Most email software includes this feature. Check the Help file for instructions if you use a different client. Back to Table of Contents 9. Stretching Frames Did you know that you can stretch frames on Web pages? This can be handy if the page uses extra small frames. If the HTML doesn't specify a certain size, you can easily and quickly resize them. Simply place your mouse cursor over the margin of the frame. If you see a double arrow, just click, drag and resize it, as you would any other window screen. Back to Table of Contents 10. Drag and Drop onto Internet Explorer Here's something really neat! Did you know that you can drag and drop any MS Word, Excel or Powerpoint document onto Internet Explorer? Not only will they appear, but the editing features of each application will also become available on the toolbar. Try it! Back to Table of Contents FEATURE: Tackling Information Overload Recent studies indicate that there are over 320 million websites that represent over 1 billion web pages on the Internet. Wow! Even the most inexperienced user should be able to find just about anything they desire, right? Wrong! Whether you're new to the Net or an experienced veteran, we are all unfortunate victims of information overload. We've all experienced the frustrations of clicking through endless lists and links that should supposedly take us to that nugget of information that we've been seeking for hours. Then suddenly...Eureka!... "I've found it." Not! Close but no cigar. Just another collection of irrelevant pages. As part of a British national strategy funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee, seven UK Subject Gateways are tackling the problem. The gateways are part of the Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib). The efforts and results have been so successful that leading Internet countries around the world are taking note. Several mirror sites are planned outside the UK, including Australia and the United States. Three years in the making the combined gateways allow users to access over 15,000 of the best "hand-picked" resources on the Net. The gateways cover the areas of art, design, architecture, media, biomedicine, business, engineering, history, social sciences and conflict studies. Originally designed for the UK higher education and research communities, these invaluable and time-saving resources are now available to everyone around the world. Savvy researchers are already familiar with subject-based searching and the many additional services that are available at each gateway. For example, many of the gateways offer training, printed resource guides, bibliographic databases, factsheets, thesauri, forums, study skills materials, ejournal search engines, launchpads, glossaries, events diaries, and even a virtual factory. So, next time your usual search strategies yield little or unsatisfactory results, try on of the following gateways:
Back to Table of Contents ...also... Attention All Newbies! The Internet is a great place to have fun, learn, do business and more. However, there are certain rules of etiquette that apply. Hence the term Netiquette. As an unsuspecting newcomer you can easily get flamed if you don't adhere to the rules laid out for email communications. Newsgroups and Lists often have unique cultures. What you say, how you say it and to whom you say it, can be a very touchy issue. So how do you ensure that you don't step on anyone's electronic toes? Head over to The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette (www.nacell.net/netiq.htm). This text file is packed with informative and useful tips, guidelines and suggestions that will help make your Internet experience more enjoyable and less stressful. You'll find information for using email, telnet, the Web, newsgroups and FTP. Less experienced users should definitely take a peak. Just because there are no etiquette cybercops, it doesn't mean you shouldn't know the rules of the electronic road! Back to Table of Contents Zines, Zines and More Zines Starting a business? Looking for information on your hobby? Or perhaps you're doing reseach for your thesis on Thermo-nuclear Dynamics! Then don't overlook the valuable information you can find in e-zines (electronic magazines). Literally thousands of Zines are published each month on a wide variety of topics and interests. Some are Web based and others are delivered to you personally via email. And a good place to start looking for those that might interest you is the eZine Database (www.dominis.com/Zines/). Quickly browse over 40 categories which include Career and Employment, Business and Finance, Fashion, Games, Politics, Travel and more. If you prefer to speed up your search, query the online search engine for your specific topic. Or if you just want to see what's hot, take a peak at the Monthly Top 5, the 100 Hot or the 100 Popular Zines. If you're thinking about starting your own, you'll also find some helpful links and information at the site. Well worth a mouse click! Back to Table of Contents Learning On the Fly Welcome to The Complete Illustrated Guide to PC Hardware, Logic and Architecture (www.mkdata.dk/english/). The name should say it all! And what a handy resource for those of you who just have to figure our how everything works. Developed by Danish school teacher Michael Karbo, the material is well organized and presented in 23 illustrated modules. They include, About PC Data, The PC System Board, About CPUs, Drives and other Storage, Expansion Cards, Operating and File Systems and Graphics. If you just can't wait and are looking for specific information, scroll the left frame and make your selection from the detailed list of topics. The site is a real handy reference if you're thinking about upgrading anything and you want to get the scoop before you buy. If you're the type that just has to know...bookmark this site! Back to Table of Contents The Armchair Millionaire Electronic marketers know that the online population share some very interesting and noteworthy characteristics. Demographically they tend have higher educational attainment, make more money and tend to use the Internet as a major source of information. The financial services sector has recognized the importance and potential of this demographic segment. Hence the popularity of one specific site, The Armchair Millionaire (www.armchairmillionaire.com/). Brought to you by the folks at Quicken.com and iVillage.com, the site is packed with a lot of valuable information. It provides "common sense" advice on saving and investing for would-be millionaires of all types. Of special interest to both new and experienced investors, is the Five Step Plan to financial freedom. Navigating the Investors Club and the Model Portfolio, will provide you with real-life financial biographies and financial success stories based on actual investments and expert advice. The site is truly packed with and abundance of useful financial and investor information. What would you do with a million dollars? Back to Table of Contents Treasures in the Attic Before you throw out that old hideous coffee table that's been sitting in the attic collecting dust all these years, you may want to click over to The Antiques Roadhow Online (http://www.pbs.org/antiques). On June 17 this summer, the busy folks at PBS added a final coat of varnish to their newly renovated site. Beginning its third season, the companion Web site to the television series is a must stop destination for antique collectors and enthusiasts. The new site allow visitors to learn about the great surprises uncovered by the Roadshow's experts in cities across North America. Don't forget to check out the production schedule and see if crew will be in your neighborhood, some time soon. Noteworthy links include Your Stories, Tips of the Trade, a searchable database of Appraisers and Auction Houses, an Appraise it Yourself monthly contest and more. Imagine your shock and dismay if you see that coffee table you sold for $10 at your garage sale, at the Antiques Roadhow Online! (Note: The whole PBS site itself is worth a look as you'll discover over 50,000 pages of content and more than 250 companion websites to 250 PBS programs and specials) Back to Table of Contents Boost Your Browser Did you know that the most recent releases of the most popular browsers support over 300 different functions? Make sure your's is in tip-top shape by visiting these great resources. In a few short minutes BrowserTune (www.browsertune.com/bt98/) will test your browser to see if it supports hundreds of functions that will make your surfing more efficient and enjoyable. It will test it's capability for general navigation, caching, list handling, graphics, animations, advanced table handling, frames, backgrounds, audio capabilities, Style Sheets, DHTML, ActiveX, channels, security, cookies and more. A report card is generated that identifies potential problems. You'll also find links to informative resources that can shed more light on resolving any problems. At Browsercheck (www.browsercheck.com) you'll find a similar utility that tells you if you're running the latest version of your browser. If you aren't, the utility will outline the benefits of updating. If you decide the update is worthwhile, a click of the mouse will take you to a download site so you can grab the upgrade. Check out both resources about once a month. Technology changes rather quickly and we want to make sure you're staying current. Back to Table of Contents Evaluating Online Resources (online tutorial) Evaluating the usefulness and quality of a website is a daunting task. Does the site offer valuable information? Is it the information you need? Is it credible? If you're concerned about these issues then the Internet Detective (sosig.ac.uk/desire/internet-detective.html) should help. Developed by staff at The Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT) at the University of Bristol (home of SOSIG), the Internet Detective can help you sharpen the skills you need to evaluate and sort through the wealth of online information. The tutorial includes overviews, interactive quizzes and examples. The goal is to help you learn how to properly and quickly evaluate a variety of online resources. Tips and little known tricks are also provided in the 3 to 4 hour tutorial. You must register at the site if you wish to return and complete the tutorial at your own pace. The tutorial is a must for information professionals, researchers, students, teachers and anyone else interested in properly assessing the quality of a site and the information it contains. Knowing where to look and what to look for will save you hundreds of online hours. Register for the free class today! Back to Table of Contents Shakespeare and Seinfeld Screenplays, sitcom scripts and classic literature...it's all just three clicks away! The following links provide hundreds of thousands of pages on just about anything written for TV, theater, radio or print. Whether you're into classics or comedy check out these fun and educational resources:
All the World's a Stage Ever wonder what the rest of the world is searching for? Wonder what topics are hot? Does anyone out there have the same obscure interest as you? If you're bored and have run out of things to do on the Net (we surely hope not!) click over to Metaspy (www.metaspy.com)....exposed, live and unplugged! Sit back and watch as your fellow surfer's search terms and phrases are revealed every 15 seconds. If you see something interesting, simply click on the term and eaves drop on some else's search. You'll have two choices for the type of content to monitor: a filtered page suitable for all viewers and an 'exposed', unfiltered, no-holds-barred page that you can enter at your own risk. This all sounds very sinister, but it's really pretty harmless and fun. After all, on the Net, "All the world's a stage." Back to Table of Contents Long Distance Savings This was brought to our attention from a freind, of a freind, of a freind. With some scepticism we checked it out and were pleasantly surprised. There's a new and somewhat silent player in the international long distance market called the Telegroup. If you or your company regularly make national and international long distance calls, read on. The Telegroup is a stealthy and innovative long distance company that can save you up to 60% on long distance calls. They boast being the #1 Alternative in Global Communications. CNNfn, Inc. Magazine, Wired, Worth and Inter@ctive Week agree (click here to read what they say). If you're interested in learning more and want to save a bundle of money, head over to www.telegroup.com. If you want a specific quote on long distance rates, to and from any country in the world, email Tony Kavai (he's the friend of, of friend, of a friend who gave us the scoop). Specify your geographic location and your most frequently called destinations and he'll quickly provide you with the exact rates. But as always...ask questions and get the facts first. It always pays to shop around. Back to Table of Contents 'Til next month... |
