September 1998 IN THIS ISSUE:
Jump Start Your Control Panel Add Links to Documents Tips On Your Desktop Suspend Your Screensaver Speed Up Your Searches MS Natural Keyboard Shortcuts Fast Find Quick Access To Your Desktop An Oldie But Goodie URL Scraps FEATURE STORY: Fun and Educational Programming For Kids ...also... Move Over Yahoo! Tag! You're it! The Dow Jones Business Directory Conflicts Be Gone! 140+ Free Que and Sams Computer Books Don't Let This Happen To You! What's Your NQ (Nerd Quotient)? What's Your Passion? Attention All Movie Buffs! Software For All File Formats 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. Jump Start Your Control Panel If time consuming clicking, opening, scrolling and more clicking is starting to annoy you, try adding a cascading Control Panel to your Start menu. First, right-click on the Start button and select Open. Now open the File menu, click New then Folder. While the folder name is still blinking, name it Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} and be sure to include the period and hyphens. That's it! Now click Start and go to Control Panel. What do you see? Back to Table of Contents 2. Add Links to Documents Did you know that you can add shortcuts inside your documents? Try it. Open your favorite word processor and simply drag and drop icons from your desktop or other folders, onto your documents. This will work with virtually any file on your computer. Back to Table of Contents 3. Tips On Your Desktop Here's a great tip. Collect and print your favorite tips from past issues of our newsletters. Open MS Paint (or other) and instead of creating a picture, simply type (or paste) in your list of favorite tips. Jazz the list up a little with some color and cool fonts. When you're finished click File and then Set As Wallpaper. Select the tile or centered option, as you prefer. You now have a handy, speedy reference to your favorite tips, tricks and shortcuts, right on your Desktop. Back to Table of Contents 4. Suspend Your Screensaver Some users report that downloads are abruptly interrupted and trashed when your screensaver automatically kicks on. Problems could also occur if you're defragmenting or scanning any of your drives. Simply click on the Start button and leave the menu open until you've finished what you're doing. This will temporarily suspend your screensaver from activating. Neat huh! Back to Table of Contents 5. Speed Up Your Searches Next time you're using a search engine, look for a text-only link on the main page. If it's available, use it. This will dramatically speed up your search, since the search and results pages won't have to load graphics. You can manually turn off graphics yourself, but you might not be able to see or use them, if they're intended to help you navigate the site and manage your query. Back to Table of Contents 6. MS Natural Keyboard Shortcuts If you're using a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, don't forget these shortcuts:
7. Fast Find Simply click anywhere on the desktop, press F3 and the Find options box will appear. Try it in Windows Explorer and Find will automatically fill in the search path with the name of the folder currently open. If you have a Windows keyboard Windows-F will bring up Find from wherever you are. Back to Table of Contents 8. Quick Access To Your Desktop Here's two of many ways you can quickly access your desktop when you have multiple applications open. First, you could right-click on the TaskBar and select Minimize All Windows. Or try this: Double-click on My Computer and if there is no toolbar, select View from the menu and select Toolbar. From the drop down list-box in the toolbar select desktop. Now just minimize the window and forget about it. This will put the window on your TaskBar. Next time you want your Desktop, just click it from the Taskbar. If you don't close the window when you shutdown, it will reopen when you start windows again. Back to Table of Contents 9. An Oldie But Goodie You may already know this one, but I bet you don't use it as often as you should. To quickly visit open programs, just press the ALT then TAB keys. Repeat this to cycle through all the applications you have open. When you find the one you want, just release the keys and it will come to the front of your screen. Back to Table of Contents 10. URL Scraps If you've found a site that contains links you might want to visit, but don't have the time to, put the URLs in a special folder. Right-click your desktop and select New then Folder. Name it URL Scraps. Next time you find a link you want to save, simply copy and paste it in the URL Scraps file. There are several ways to do this, the simplest being to drag it directly into the folder. Try it with one of the links in this newsletter. Back to Table of Contents FEATURE: Fun and Educational Programming For Kids (Media Release) We don't have to tell you that technology has already and will forever affect our lives. It's impact is even more profound for children. That's why former Texas Instruments public relations manager, Jim Muller, developed Logo. A description of this exciting new language, book and CD follows in the release below: New Book Introduces Kids of all Ages to the Fun of the Logo Language Madison, Ala. -- June 17, 1998 (XPN) -- A newly released book and CD-ROM called 'The Great Logo Adventure' hopes to encourage youngsters and parents to quit store-bought video and computer games in favor of writing their own. 'The Great Logo Adventure' and its companion CD-ROM introduce young people of all ages to the fun of Logo for Windows. Logo is an easy-to-use computer language that has evolved over the years to allow young programmers to take advantage of new computer technologies. Kindergarten children can easily learn to draw colorful shapes, move them around the screen, and even add sound effects to their projects. The more adventurous can explore animation, MIDI sound, robotics, and virtually anything else their imaginations can dream up. "Logo goes far beyond the Etch-A-Sketch(tm) and other simple drawing programs. It is reminiscent of the game of chess. Very young children can easily learn the moves and enjoy simple games among themselves. They can also spend a lifetime discovering the intricacies of opening, middle, and endgame strategies," says author Jim Muller. "Using Logo, the very young can explore numbers, directions, colors, shapes, and spatial relationships. They can then spend a lifetime discovering the intricacies of fractals, simulations, game design, modal and modeless programming." 'The Great Logo Adventure' uses MSW Logo for Windows, an actively supported, full-featured, freeware version of the language that is included with the book. More information is available at the developer's Web site Logo for DOS and the Mac are also provided. In addition, the CD contains over 300 Logo programs plus activity and game projects to help parents and educators make the most of a child's learning opportunity. The cartoon-illustrated book follows the escapades of 'Logy,' a female turtle, and 'Morf,' a male rabbit, distant relatives of the tortoise and hare made famous by Aesop. The book includes many concrete examples that help the young learner understand a wide variety of mathematical concepts. For example, to help young learners understand the concepts of angles; the book uses the analogy of a clock face. It also includes a number of activities done with string that are designed to help the reader get the feel of geometric concepts. Children and adults can work together creating shapes and paper mazes that overlay the computer screen, making learning a true multimedia adventure. Readers can find many other ideas and activities on the Internet at The Great Logo Adventure Web site (www.cyberramp.net/~jmul). About the Author Jim Muller began working with Logo while public relations manager for Texas Instruments Incorporated, the company that introduced the first commercial Logo package. He resigned from corporate life to expand the first Logo users group that he organized with his son. This group quickly grew to 6000 members in 42 countries worldwide. Mr. Muller is the author of a number of Logo books including 1,2,3, My Computer and Me, Logo Adventures, The Turtle's Discovery Book for PC Logo and Logo Plus, and The Turtle's Sourcebook. THE GREAT LOGO ADVENTURE $24.95 paperback, ISBN 0-9651934-6-2, 350 pgs. Doone Publications 7950 Hwy 72W, #G106, Madison. AL 35785 Phone: 800-311-3753 Int'l: +1-205-837-0580 Fax: 205-837-0580 http://www.doone.com E-mail: asmith@doone.com Back to Table of Contents ...also... Move Over Yahoo! If you're getting tired of search results that return irrelevant hits, then you'll really appreciate this new web directory.....and it's going to look really familiar! Enter NewHoo! (www.newhoo.com). Sound familiar? It's no accident. NewHoo is a virtual carbon copy of Yahoo!. The look, feel and navigation features are almost identical. So why all the hoopla? Well quite simply, NewHoo returns search results that are almost always more relevant to your query. With over a 320 million websites and over a billion pages to index and search, it's almost impossible for editorial staff to keep up. That's why NewHoo uses an army of volunteer editors that are specialists in their fields (if you're interested in becoming an editor check the site for more info). As of August 19, 1998 there were 3017 editors on board. And don't think for a minute that quality will suffer. Of the 70,132 sites (and growing) that are indexed, only 1039 are yet to be reviewed. You might not get 500 hits on your subject, but those that you will get, will be deadly accurate. Searching the 16,840 categories is fast and easy. And you won't find a lot of link rot. Take a look for yourself. We're sure you'll want to bookmark this awesome new engine. Back to Table of Contents Tag! You're it! This is a must download! Whether you're just beginning to write your own HTML or you're a veteran of the language, this is an invaluable resource. Click over to Rob Schluter's HTML Tag List (www.erinet.com/martyh/html) for this very cool, free download. The HTML Tag List is a reference of currently supported HTML tags, with descriptions of all the available HTML tags, attributes and examples. It is a wonderfully practical reference, combining the official HTML standard with browser-specific extensions. After you've downloaded the file, we highly recommend you create a shortcut to the guide on your Desktop. A handy drop-down list will allow you to quickly select from over 100 tags. Make your selection and the appropriate full color (with graphics) page opens up. A quick description of the tag lets you see how and where it is used. All the relevant attributes are listed and explained. Examples and source code are given along with the result. Whoa! What more could you ask for? How about another drop-down list that offers guidance on the use of color, fixed color palettes, character sets, style sheets, FAQs, tips and resources. Don't wait, get it now! Back to Table of Contents The Dow Jones Business Directory If you want in-depth and accurate business information then the Dow Jones Business Directory (bd.dowjones.com/) is one of the places to start. Not only do they publish The Wall Street Journal, but they now provide an invaluable internet resource. The Dow Jones Business Directory provides a searchable webliography of business sites, where you can research accurate Internet business information. Whether you're interested in news, economics, companies, industries or just want some informative insights, this is great site. And you should definitely check out the References page. You'll find links, sites, articles and more resources on Careers, Company Information, Consumer Tips, Demographics and Research, Management, Small Business Reference, Tax Reference and more. Whether you're feeling bullish or bearish, take a minute to visit and be pleasantly surprised. Back to Table of Contents Conflicts Be Gone! Now here's terrific site for Mac owners that's have been around for a while. The Complete Conflict Compendium (www.mac-conflicts.com). The name says it all. The site and free newsletter is a collection of reported hardware/software conflicts and the relevant fixes that are available. You can quickly search the Hardware, Software and System links for conflicts related to your specific applications and system configurations. Really handy! The reports cover systems 7 (or earlier), 7.0, 7.1, 7.5, 7.6, 8.0 and 8.1 (and versions in between). If you don't have time to visit the site for updates, then subscribe to the free newsletter and get reports delivered directly to you via email. To subscribe, send a message to c3d@mac-conflicts.com with the word subscribe as the subject. This is a very thorough site and service, that is updated regularly. A must reference for Mac users. Back to Table of Contents 140+ Free Que and Sams Computer Books Get them online, today! You heard right. MacMillan Publishing is now offering some of their best titles online and for free! Browse the selection first, at Electronic Book List (www.mcp.com/personal/ebooklist.html). If you find something you'd like to check out, all you have to do is register at the Personal Bookshelf Personal Bookshelf (www.mcp.com/personal). The collection of electronic books is impressive. You'll find titles on basic Internet training, HTML, Word, Excel, Access, a myriad of programming languages and much, much more. If you're familiar with the Que and Sams series, then you know this is a great deal. Some of these books retail for over $50.00 and some of the titles are 800+ page reference manuals. For obvious reasons, this free service and site is not very well publicized. Be sure to drop in and take advantage of this exceptional opportunity and little known resource. Back to Table of Contents Don't Let This Happen To You! Our feature story suggested how important technology has become in our everyday lives. However, as you may already know, it is easy to get consumed by it and lose focus of some of the more important things in life. The following is a humorous but poignant piece that clearly makes this point. It was submitted to Net Happenings Digest by netizen Brent Rossow. From: Brent Rossow In going through some old (and I mean *old*) text files on my hard drive this morning, I came across the following "letter" from a wife to her computer-using husband. I'm sure some of you can relate. :-) ------------------------------------------------------------------ To my darling husband, I am sending you this letter in a bogus software company envelope so that you will be sure to read it. Please forgive the deception, but I thought you should know what has been going on at home since your IBM computer entered our lives two years ago. The children are doing well. Tommy is seven now and is a bright, handsome boy. He has developed quite an interest in the arts. He drew a family portrait for a school project. All the figures were good but yours was excellent! The chair and the back of your head are very realistic. You would be very proud of him. Little Jennifer turned three in September. She looks a lot like you did at that age. She is an attractive child and quite smart. She still remembers that you spent the whole afternoon with her on her birthday. What a grand day for Jen, despite the fact that it was stormy and the electricity was out. I am also doing well. I went blonde about a year ago and was delighted to discover that it really is more fun! Lars, I mean Mr. Swenson, the department head, has taken an interest in my career and has become a good friend to us all. I have discovered that the household chores are much easier since I realized that you don't mind being vacuumed but that feather dusting made you sneeze. The house is in good shape. I had the living room painted last Spring. I'm not sure if you noticed it. I made sure the painters cut air holes in the drop cloth so you wouldn't be disturbed. Well, my dear, I must be going. Uncle Lars, Mr. Swenson, I mean, is taking us all on a ski trip and there will be packing to do. I have hired a housekeeper to take care of things while we are away. She'll keep things in order, fill your coffee cup, and bring meals to your desk, - just the way you like it. I hope you and the IBM have a lovely time while we are gone. Tommy, Jen and I will think of you often. Try to remember us while your disks are booting. Love, Mary (Your Wife) --------------------------- Back to Table of Contents What's Your NQ (Nerd Quotient)? In marketing terms, those who are first to adopt new technology and products are classified as 'Innovators'. They tend to be highly educated, have higher incomes and can be somewhat introverted. Sounds an awful lot like a Nerd to me! Is this you? If you want to find out if you're a geek, then take The Nerdity Test (www.frontiernet.net/~jbennett/nerd/index.html). Here are some of the telling questions you'll be expected to answer:
Back to Table of Contents What's Your Passion? In Move Over Yahoo! (above), we suggested that this popular search directory may be getting too big for it's britches. For all of it's potential shortcomings, the folks at Yahoo!, have created something pretty neat! It's called Yahoo! Clubs (clubs.yahoo.com/). No matter what your interest or quirky hobby, here you can join a club to share ideas, rant and rave and find out more on just about anything. Begin by looking in the main categories which include: Business & Finance, Computers & Internet, Cultures & Community, Entertainment & Arts, Family & Home, Friends, Games, Government & Politics, Health & Wellness, Hobbies & Crafts, Issues & Causes, Recreation & Sports, Religion & Beliefs and Schools & Education Each club is listed and briefly described. You can also see how many members there are for each club. If you can't find a club that caters to your interest, you can start your own! Registration is quick, easy and free. Check it out. Back to Table of Contents Attention All Movie Buffs! Want quick access to a database of over 150,000 movies, film and television programs? Want to know the name of the costume designer for Dangerous Liaisons? How about the cinematographer for Apocalypse Now? How about reviews for every title in the database? Well you can get it all and more at The Internet Movie Database (us.imdb.com/). This is one of the most comprehensive databases of it's kind on the Net. It's easy to search and the information returned is mind-numbing. You'll get a lengthy list of actors and actresses (not just the leads), producers, directors, writers, editors, cinematographers, costume designers, release dates, running times, plots, crazy credits, bloopers and even detailed cast biographies. The site also features daily TV and movie news, Oscar winners, a Quote searcher, reviews and the IMDb Radio, a trivia browser and much, much more. If you thought you were a real movie buff, this site will be a humbling experience. Lights, camera, action! Back to Table of Contents Software For All File Formats Ever come across a file that none of your applications will open? Well fret no more. Eric Perlman and Ian Kallen of Internet Literacy Consultants have published a handy online guide to dozens of the most common Mac and PC file formats you'll find on the Net. You can get it at Common Internet File Formats (www.matisse.net/files/formats.html). This is a handy reference because, not only are the file formats described, but the authors include links to software applications that will open them. The site isn't fancy, but it's a quick and handy resource that explains file formats and helps you find software that will handle just about every file type you can think of. Simple, short and to the point. A real time-saver. Back to Table of Contents 'Til next month... |
