WHAT IS VOICE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE…

Voice recognition software, is application software that converts speech to text and it has reached the point where some say you can actually navigate your computer and write documents faster than you could with a keyboard and a mouse – some of the popular software on the market are..

Dragon Naturally Speaking has 2 versions

• 11 Preferred is almost universally regarded in reviews as the best voice recognition software, with potential for 97% accuracy-cost about $80
• 11 Standard edition works with AOL Instant Messenger, MS Word, Internet Explorer and WordPerfect, but not Excel and this doesn’t support portable voice recorders-cost $45

Windows Vista and Windows 7 include Windows Speech Recognition at no additional charge. Though the program was originally rife with issues, it now performs extremely well -- almost as well as Dragon Naturally Speaking

Mac Speech Dictate gets top review as the best speech recognition choice for those with Apple Mac operating systems about $150

Computer Classes Begin October 5th

OCTOBER… Can you believe September is almost over, so don’t “fall behind” now’s the time to “master your computer, digital camera & more” Now that classes are back in session, upcoming class updates for the next few weeks will be on the blog every Sunday - so check in often... and remember MCC offers avery wide variety of other classes-so check them all out at http://www.mohave.edu/

These are the computer classes I will be teaching the first few weeks in October … To reserve your seat, Call Registration 928-855-7812 or 453-1139.. Consider signing up with a friend – coming to class with someone else gives you the motivation to practice and the more people in each class the more is learned from questions....

For those of you who won’t be returning to Lake Havasu until after the holidays ~ don’t fret ~ these and others classes will be scheduled January thru April and as always we will look forward to seeing you..

COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC062-121, OCT 5 & 6 Tues & Wed mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm, or LSC 062-122 Oct 25 & 27 Mon & Wed mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm, Two 4 Hour classes reviewing computer hardware, software, printing tips, keyboard shortcut tips, customizing desktop-changing backgrounds, create shortcuts, using quick launch bar, Start Menu, Task Bar, control panel & much more… Bring your questions..

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-121 Oct 6 & 8 Wed & Fri afternoons 1pm-4:50pm
Two 4 hour classes-intro to digital cameras; pixels, camera lingo, basic how to’s, move photo’s to your pc with memory card & memory card reader, organize photos on your pc using windows explorer; save photos to portable drives - Bring your digital camera to class

HOW TO BUY & SELL ONLINE LSC101-121 Oct 8 & 15 Friday mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm, Two 4 hour classes-Buy and Sell on Line, find what you want; searching, making travel arrangements, general shopping tips, intro to online sales with sites such as eBay; eBid; craigslist & others: shortcuts, security

INTERNET AND IT'S MANY USES LSC071-121 Oct. 12 & 13 Tues & Wed mornings 8:30am-12:20pm, Two 4 Hour classes with lots of internet tips & lingo, such as ISP, browser, blogger and more; when & why to use F5 & F11; understanding websites & hyperlinks, basics of email, using “Google & Bing” to search web, images, news; translating to & from different languages; blogging

LIST AND DATA MANAGEMENT WITH EXCEL LSC069-121 Oct. 12 & 13: Tues & Wed Afternoons 1pm-4:50pm, Two 4 hour classes-Learn to work with a spreadsheet for numbers and list management “text” (budget, contact lists for mail merges) Workbook vs. worksheet; cells, columns, rows, auto-formats; margins, grid lines, sorting numbers & data & print basics - Bring an address book or contact list to class

CREATE GREAT LOOKING DOCUMENTS LSC068-121 Oct. 18 & 19 Mon & Tues afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm, Two 4 hour classes-reviewing the basics to open, create, save documents; highlight; cut-copy-paste, set & change margins; create letters, envelopes, labels & use clip art, word art to enhance documents, create flyers & invitations & lots of printing tips

FIND/ORGANIZE WHAT’S ON YOUR PC LSC062-123 Oct. 19 & 20 Tues & Wed Mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm, Two 4 hour classes to find what you’ve saved on your PC; organize your work, files & photo’s to find them quickly & easily. Learn to back up your pc, photo & documents with portable flash & hard drives, memory cards and memory card readers..

POWER POINT LSC069D-121 Oct. 20 & 27 Wednesday afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm, Two 4 hour classes to show you how to create a basic Slide Show presentation and enhance your presentation with text, photos & clip art, animation, transition & timing features Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

Is there something you are interested in learning that you don't see in our class listings - let us know...

Should you have many different passwords to get into your accounts?

NO – the more passwords you have the more likely you are to forget them. Consider having 2 or at the most 3 different passwords, but be sure they are strong (combination of numbers and letters work best). Consider

• 1 password for getting into each of your email accounts
• 1 password for getting into your financial accounts
• 1 password for getting into all other accounts you register with

TIPS:

• Keep your primary email addresses, user names and passwords on an index card with your other important papers.
• Don't share your passwords on the Internet, over email, on the phone or in the mail with something sent to you-only when you generate the contact. Internet Service Providers (ISP) and reputable companies will never generate calls, emails or correspondence asking for your password or other confidential information. If it doesn't feel right - don't respond!!!!
• Passwords are always case sensitive
• Never use your email password for anything but your email account
• Create another password (minimum 8-20 characters) a word & phrase with 3 or 4 numbers (be sure the numbers & letters are not consecutive, that you use for all other Internet accounts. If you need to change it, reverse the order (i.e. 4378david or david4378 or DAVID4378 or 4378 DAVID)

INCREASE YOUR LAPTOP BATTERY'S LIFE

Without fail, the battery on our laptops – notebooks or netbooks, always stop working and run our of juice at the most inconvenient time – in the middle of that rush report or when you are on a flight and watching a DVD movie

Laptop screens take up significant amount of power and we usually don’t require maximum brightness, so check your system and decrease the screen brightness it to a comfortable point.

Stop your wireless signal when you aren’t using it - After turning off your Laptop, right click on your WiFi control signal and be sure it is off to save a considerable quantity of battery power

Check your power plans - Windows XP has several predetermined power plans to control settings like how rapidly your laptop turns off and when your screen saver boots in. You can change your laptop power scheme by choosing Control Panel, then choose Power Options. For maximum battery life from the “Maximum Battery” option from the "Power scheme" and decline the list. Other good choices might be "Low Power Mode" and Portable /Laptop – they may not conserve as much power as Max Battery, but they still help. After choosing the power scheme, click Ok to finish the process.

How to find a lost file on your Computer?

If you are using Windows XP – this is a quick way to find lost files on your computer.

Open the “Start Menu" (either left click on the Start Button left side of the Task Bar OR tap the Windows Flag Key on your keyboard)

When the Start Menu appears, choose “Search” and the Search Dialog Box Opens, with 3 search options:

1. All or part of a file name
2. A word or phrase in the file
3. Look In

Use Option 1 when you know all or part of the document-file name, but you can also add the file extensions (for example for word file, type *.doc, Excel *.xls, Acrobat *.pdf, *.ppt and *.exe for executable files.

Use Option 2 when you don't know the name of file but know that it contains a string of text, by typing the text you want to find from any file or folder. This is time taking process but creates very precise result.

Use Option 3, Look In, to Look in Specific Drives, Folders or Networks that you want to Search for what you put in Option 1 or Option 2 In Look in, click the drive, folder, or network you want to search.

To save time, always select the specified drive or location instead of whole computer
Click Start Button, point to Search, and then click For File or Folders, a Search Results dialog box will appear.

In Search for files or folders named, type the file name or folder name you want to find in containing text.

To specify additional search criteria, click Search Options, and then click one or more of the following options to narrow your search:

• Select Date to look for files that were created or modified on or between specific dates
• Select Type to look for files of a specific type, such as a text or WordPad document
• Select Size to look for files of a specific size
• Select Advanced Options to specify additional search criteria
• Click Search now.

How to convert older Office documents (97-2003) to Office 2007 Format

Office 2007 applications such as Word and Excel can open a spreadsheet or a document, in any of the older Office Word, Excel or other application software versions. When they open the older versions, they are opened in the Office 2007 Compatibility Mode (which you will see is noted in the title bar on the top of your screen) when you open the document.
If you want to use the new features available in your Office 2007 Software Application program on the “older document” you will first have to convert older Office documents to Office 2007 format.

The feature to covert older Office documents to Office 2007 format is very useful – one example s that now in Excel 2007 you can use 1.1 million rows – whereas the older versions of Excel only offered you sixty-five thousand rows.

Seriously though, converting to use the new features is quick and easy and worth the change. The method to convert older Office documents to Office 2007 format is the same for all applications, but we are using and example of a Word document of previous version. Again, when you open a Word or Excel document of an older version, you will see [Compatibility Mode] as part of the title on the Title Bar…So, to convert older Office documents to Office 2007 format:

• Open the Word document, which you want to convert into Word 2007 format
• Click on the Microsoft Office button on the top left
• Click on Convert on the left hand side of the menu
• Click on the OK button on the Microsoft Word Office dialog box which appears
• By clicking OK, your document is automatically converted to the Word 2007 format
• Now notice that [Compatibility Mode] is no longer part of the title bar

Internet Explorer 9 does not & will not run on Windows XP

Although you will see lots of advertisements asking you to ‘try out” the new Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 9 (which is still being Beta tested) please know that it does not now – nor will it ever – run on computers with Windows XP – so don’t even try to download it.

The following is an excerpt from an article confirming this which was published Sept. 16th, 2010 on http://www.geek.com/:

While Microsoft has tried to move on from Windows XP many times, millions of users refuse to budge, even with Windows 7 repairing a lot of the damage Vista caused.

XP users are in for a surprise though, when it comes to the next major upgrade they try to apply to their browser. Microsoft has confirmed that Internet Explorer 9 will not work with Windows XP. So all those nice new features such as hardware acceleration will not be available on the old operating system

To read the full article-click on the following link:: http://www.geek.com/articles/news/internet-explorer-9-wont-run-on-windows-xp-20100916/

Protect your mobile devices - cell phones, blackberry's etc.

We received these tips from State Farm Insurance and thought you would find them helpful…

Smartphones (iPhones, Droids, etc); Blackberry’s and other mobile devices are just “always-on computers” that can make phone calls." So how can you protect your phone and your identity from this new breed of mobile-minded criminal? Here are some tips:

Protect your phone
Use common sense in protecting your smartphone from hackers and identity thieves. Don't let strangers borrow your phone, protect access to e-mail and sensitive data with a PIN or password, don't use unofficial apps for online banking, and don't click on links from text messages. Basically, if you wouldn't do it on your home computer, don't do it on your smartphone. Be wary of free apps that aren't from established, trusted, familiar sources. Steer clear of pirated app repositories; stick to official versions for safe mobile surfing. And when you use public WiFi for Web access, don't visit sites that require you to share sensitive personal information such as account numbers or your social security number. Hackers may lurk on WiFi networks.

Watch bills vigilantly
Check your bill carefully each month. If you see downloads you didn't authorize or calls you didn't make, contact your wireless provider immediately. If you receive a confirmation e-mail when you download an app, take time to actually read through it so that you know exactly what you are putting on your phone—and where it's coming from.

Question quirks
If your home computer started doing bizarre things like shutting down without warning, sending unauthorized email messages or pulling up websites that don't match the address typed in, you might suspect a virus. But users don't necessarily make the same connection when bizarre quirks develop on smartphones. Mobile devices will usually issue similar weird warnings when they're infected with malware.

For more tips to protect your online identity and more, visit this State Farm link:

http://www.statefarm.com/learning/planning/prevent_identityFraud.asp

Internet Greeting Cards

Sending greeting cards "via email" gets easier all the time - put any/all of these addresses into your "Internet Favorites List" and pick & choose when you need to send cards – my favorite 2 are www.hallmark.com (some free cards) and www.jacquielawson.com which has an annual fee to use, but well worth it..

Many of the following websites, offer free cards - however some have recently changed and only offer a small group of free cards, but for a nominal annual fee ($9.95-14.95/yr) you can have your choice of unlimited cards - the choice is yours.

These are just a few of the many online greeting card websites. A great feature of many of these websites is the opportunity to add “gift cards or certificates”, to send flowers, and other great gift ideas done by credit card, with various partners that they are affiliated with (such as flowers.com, vermont teddy bear, bed, bath & beyond, toys & babies r us and others).. Makes shopping so much easier and you aren’t spending time or money on greeting cards, stamps and running in and out of stores…

www.bluemountain.com
www.123greetings.com
www.greeting-cards.com
www.regards.com
www.marlo.com/card.htm
www.e-cards.com
www.zworks.com/forever
www.americangreetings.com
www.gcards.com
www.egreetings.com

As you send cards, you can build your address book (contact list) in the online greeting card site; many also offer reminder services so you don’t forget important dates and most allow you to schedule cards for as much as 18 months in advance… Life gets easier all the time…

Texting Lingo - What do those letters mean?

The following expressions are often called acronyms, but they really aren’t – they are shorthand being used for text messaging (texting) and InstantMessaging (iMing) twittering (tweets) and sometimes blogging.. These are just a few of the hundreds used by kids and adults alike - some are quite innocent - some are quite graphic; check out a complete listing at this popular website..

www.netlingo.com

ADR - Address
ASL - Age/Sex/Location
BFF – Best Friend Forever
BRB - Be Right Back
BRT - Be Right There
F2F - Face To Face
FOAF - Friend Of A Friend
GYPO - Get Your Pants Off
HAK - Hugs And Kisses
ILU or ILY - I Love You
IWSN - I Want Sex Now
KFY - Kiss For You
KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless
LMIRL - Let's Meet In Real Life
LMK - Let Me Know
LOL - Laugh Out Loud
MOOS - Member(s) Of Opposite Sex
MorF - Male or Female
MOSS or MOTSS - Member(s) Of Same Sex
NALOPKT - Not A Lot Of People Know That
NIFOC - Nude In Front Of Computer
P911 - Parent Alert
PAL - Parents Are Listening
PAW - Parents Are Watching
PIR - Parent In Room
POS - Parent Over Shoulder
SorG - Straight or Gay
TDTM - Talk Dirty To Me
WYCM - Will You Call Me?

Remember these are constantly being added to, so check "netlingo.com" often…

Tips for Texting, Emailing & Cell Phones

Tips for better online and cell phone behavior (etiquette)

• Try not to use email to address problems better handled face to face – shows your maturity and respect for the other person
• Email is wonderful – but picking up the phone for a real conversation is always a better option to enhance any relationship – personal or business
• Read & reread your email messages before hitting the send button – to check for spelling & grammatical errors, but just as importantly to be watchful of the tone – emails make it to easy to misread between the lines, so always be polite and respectful
• Email, especially business related, should always be professional – not cutesy or too casual
• Be sure to respect & protect others email addresses – whenever possible – put addresses in the BCC line so that email addresses aren't’ publicized.
• Always remove others email addresses when forwarding stories or jokes.. you never know where they will end up.. (remove the FW or FWD from the subject line)
• Put something in the subject line - even 1 or 2 words (directions, hello, estimate, questions) will help the receipient know what is is and if it needs to be addressed now or later
• This is very true for business emails: don't respond to e-mail immediately – it’s too easy to hit the reply button after a quick response, but the downsides to this is you may appear to be constantly reachable to colleagues, too eager to clients or upper management so unless it’s urgent, wait a few hours and be sure you’ve thought about your response and are focused on the task at hand.
• Make sure your email messages have a purpose…
• Never TYPE IN ALL UPPERCASE. Uppercase implies that you are SHOUTING.
• By the same token, you don’t want to use all lower case letters, especially in professional e-mails. Some say that writing in all lowercase appears you don't have enough respect for your recipient to use proper capitalization.
• You should never be too busy to use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation in your e-mails (although using incomplete sentences and lists for explanation is acceptable).
• Whenever you send professional emails – whether those are to your vendors, customers, clients, organization members - use their formal titles followed by their last name unless they invite you to use their first name – remember – show respect.
• Return calls in a timely manner – ideally always within twenty-four hours whenever possible.
• Leaving a voice mail message – it helps to give your number at both the beginning and end of the message and tell them when it’s convenient for them to return your call "I’ll be home this evening" or "back in the office after 2"
• Using your cell phone – be respectful of those around you especially try not to scream into your cell phone. Cell phone speakers are very sensitive and can transmit your slightest whisper – those around us aren’t interested in our conversations…
• When you are with someone at dinner – in a meeting – at an event – give them your full attention; most people find it rude & disrespectful to have those they are with texting, accepting/making cell phone calls and the like - if they are important enough to be with, then they are important enough to have your full attention...
• When you are in public settings - restaurants, places of worship, social gatherings-work & pleasure, turn your cell phone off or put it on vibrate so as not to disturb those around you-need to take the call - then take it outside!
• Technology is wonderful, but it sure can be annoying...

Printing Tips

TO PRINT A PORTION OF AN INTERNET ARTICLE OR EMAIL RECEIVED:

• Highlight the portion of the article or email you want to print
• Go to the Menu Bar or Office Bar and choose “Print”
• When the Print Dialog Box Appears, on the left side choose “selection”
• On the right side, choose the number of copies you want
• Choose OK and that is what will print..

TO ENLARGE THE PRINT SIZE OF A PORTION OF AN INTERNET ARTICLE OR EMAIL RECEIVED OR TO SAVE EITHER IN A FILE ON YOUR COMPUTER..

• Highlight what you want to copy & enlarge
• Give the command to copy (Go to Edit – choose Copy, Right Click on what you’ve highlighted & choose copy, or use the action key on your keyboard and choose copy)
• Open your Word processing program: Word, Word Perfect, Word Pad, Note Pad
• Put your cursor on the blank document when your WP program opens
• Activate paste (Go to Edit –choose Paste; Right Click on the document and choose Paste, or use the action bar on your keyboard and choose paste)
• What you copied is now on the document
• Highlight what you want to enlarge (to do the entire text – use the CTRL Key + A or go to Edit & choose “Select All”
• Once text is highlighted, change font size & text
• To print, Go to the Menu Bar or Office Button and choose “Print”
• When the Print Dialog Box Appears, on the left side choose “selection”
• On the right side, choose the number of copies you want
• Choose OK and that is what will print....

TO SAVE THIS NEW DOCUMENT ON YOUR COMPUTER IN A FOLDER:

• Go to the Menu Bar or Office Button and choose “Save As”
• When the Save As Dialog Box Appears, on the left side choose “My Doucments/Documnets”
• Choose or create the folder you want the document saved in
• Name the document at the bottom of the dialog box
• Choose OK and that is what will print....

TO PRINT TWO OR MORE PAGES OF A DOCUMENT ON ONE SHEET OF PAPER
PAGES:

• Go to the Menu Bar or Office Button and choose “Print”
• Under Zoom, click 2 OR more pages in the Pages per sheet box
• Choose OK and that is what will print

A few Labor Day Trivia Facts.. Did you know…

The changes made due to Labor Day and the American labor force in the 1880s proves there is much to be appreciated. Without this day and those who created it, eight-hour work days and a minimum wage would not be possible. Weekends also came to be because of these fearless fighters, and most notably the last long weekend that rounds out the summer.

So enjoy your long weekend and remember to give a toast to those who made it possible and when you do here are some interesting facts & figures to consider..

• Labor Day, a true working man’s holiday, is celebrated in the US on the first Monday every September
• The first Labor Days was celebrated in New York City on Tuesday Sept. 5th 1882
• Labor Day became a federal holiday in September 1894, a bill signed by President Grover Cleveland
• Labor Day is also celebrated in Canada
• Labor Day is the only holidays not resulting from a person, religion or war/battle…
• Labor Day was founded when many in America worked 16 hour days in harsh work environments.
• The first Labor Day was really a rally for the adoption of eight hour work days and other more suitable working conditions
• To most, Labor Day signifies the end of summer and a time when schools reopen
• Many other countries celebrate May Day a holiday very similar to our Labor Day, dedicated to workers' rights
• The 1930s was the era that saw the most laws written to protect workers rights and we can all thank Walter Reuther for paid vacation and paid sick leave; he campaigned tirelessly for these rights in the 30s
• Traditionally no one ever wore white (except brides) after Labor Day – but this fashion trends has changed in recent years…
• In 1962, the Work Hours Act provided time and a half pay for days worked over eight hours or weeks worked over 40 hours
• For many decades, Labor Day was seen as a day for workers to voice their complaints and discuss better working conditions and pay
• The origin of the word labor is from the Anglo-French word labur and the Latin word labor. It was first used in the 14th century

And...Did you know that in 2009:

• 155.1 million people were in the nation’s labor force
• Approximately 7.2 million people identify their occupation as a teacher; 1.7 million are chief executives, 751,000 are farmers and ranchers and 773,000 are hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists
• There are 15.7 million labor union members in the United States, which is about 12 percent of wage and salary workers. Alaska, Hawaii and New York have some of the highest rates of the states. North Carolina has one of the lowest
• In New York, the average commute time is 31.5 minutes. Not surprisingly, this is the most time-consuming commute in the nation. The national average is 25.3 minutes and that more than 3.4 million workers have an at least 90-minute commute to work each day (and then repeat it to go home...
• Roughly 7.7 million people have two jobs. Of those people, 288,000 work two full-time jobs
• There are about 5.7 million people who report they work from home
• About 28 percent of workers 16 or older work more than 40 hours a week.
• At least 10% (15.5 million) workers work more than 65 hours a week

Computer Classes Begin October 5th

OCTOBER… Can you believe – summer is almost over, so don’t “fall behind” now’s the time to “master your computer, digital camera & more”

I will be teaching the following computer classes the first few weeks in October … To reserve your seat, Call MCC Registration 928-855-7812 or 453-1139.. Consider signing up with a friend – coming to class with someone else gives you the motivation to practice and the more people in each class the more is learned from questions....If you have any questions about a specific class or topic – email me: cherie_houston@hotmail.com or cherie-houston@hotmail.com

For those of you who won’t be returning to Lake Havasu until after the holidays – don’t fret – these and others classes will be scheduled January thru April 2011.

As always we will look forward to seeing you when classes begin in just a few weeks.....

COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC 062 Tues & Wed mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm, Oct 5 & 6 or Mon & Wed mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm, Oct 25 & 27 - Two 4 Hour classes reviewing computer hardware, software, printing tips, keyboard shortcut tips, customizing desktop-changing backgrounds, create shortcuts, using quick launch bar, Start Menu, Task Bar, control panel & much more… Bring your questions..

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A Wed & Fri afternoons 1pm-4:50pm, Oct. 6 & 8 - Two 4 hour classes-intro to digital cameras; pixels, camera lingo, basic how to’s, move photo’s to your pc with memory card & memory card reader, organize photos on your pc using windows explorer; save photos to portable drives - Bring your digital camera to class

HOW TO BUY & SELL ONLINE LSC101 Friday mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm, OCT 8 & 15 - Two 4 hour classes-Buy and Sell on Line, find what you want; searching, making travel arrangements, general shopping tips, intro to online sales with sites such as eBay; eBid; craigslist & others: shortcuts, security

INTERNET AND IT'S MANY USES LSC071 Tues & Wed mornings 8:30am-12:20pm, oCT. 12 & 13 - Two 4 Hour classes with lots of internet tips & lingo, such as ISP, browser, blogger and more; when & why to use F5 & F11; understanding websites & hyperlinks, basics of email, using “Google & Bing” to search web, images, news; translating to & from different languages; blogging

LIST AND DATA MANAGEMENT WITH EXCEL LSC 069: Tues & Wed Afternoons 8:30am-12:20pm, OCT. 12 & 13 - Two 4 hour classes-Learn to work with a spreadsheet for numbers and list management “text” (budget, contact lists for mail merges) Workbook vs. worksheet; cells, columns, rows, auto-formats; margins, grid lines, sorting numbers & data & print basics - Bring an address book or contact list to class

CREATE GREAT LOOKING DOCUMENTS LSC068 Mon & Tues afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm, oCT. 18 & 19 - Two 4 hour classes-reviewing the basics to open, create, save documents; highlight; cut-copy-paste, set & change margins; create letters, envelopes, labels & use clip art, word art to enhance documents, create flyers & invitations & lots of printing tips

FIND/ORGANIZE WHAT’S ON YOUR PC LSC062 Tues & Wed Mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm, OCT. 19 & 20 - Two 4 hour classes to find what you’ve saved on your PC; organize your work, files & photo’s to find them quickly & easily. Learn to back up your pc, photo & documents with portable flash & hard drives, memory cards and memory card readers..

POWER POINT LSC069D Wednesday afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm, OCT 20 & 27 - Two 4 hour classes to show you how to create a basic Slide Show presentation and enhance your presentation with text, photos & clip art, animation, transition & timing features Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

What are keyboard keys called & what do they do

These are the different types of keys on our Keyboard and what they do..

• Alphanumeric Keys: sets of letters and numbers
• Arrow/Navigation Keys: move the cursor
• Function Keys: F1-F12, etc – functions vary on programs
• Numeric Keys: separate keypad to enter numbers
• Text Editing Keys: used in word & document processing
• Window Keys: activate the start menu & other shortcuts

The keyboard enables you to communicate with the computer by typing information and instructions into the computer (the type of keyboard we use are used for computers and cell phones as “QWERTY STYLE").

A numeric keypad is located at the right of the keyboard. It is used like a 10-key calculator.

The top row of keys are function keys. They perform specific tasks in software applications. We don’t need to be concerned with them.

Esc. or “escape” on the top left of your keyboard allows you to stop a task at anytime.

The Ctrl or “control” keys are on the bottom left and right corners of your keyboard. They are used with other keys to complete commands.

The Enter key is on the center row, right side of your keyboard. Use enter to move your cursor down a line.

The Backspace key is on the right end of the row of number keys on your keyboard. Pressing the backspace key moves your cursor one space to the left, and eliminates any typing as it moves.

The arrow up, down, left and right keys on the keyboard allow you to move around your document without destroying your work.
Up = one line; Down = one line; Left = one character or letter; Right = one character or letter
The Delete key will eliminate any typing to the right of the blinking cursor.

The page up, page down keys allow you to move up and down on a page of your document quickly.

The Home key takes you to the beginning of your current line of type.

The End key takes you to the end of your current line of type.

The Home key, used with the control key, takes you to the very beginning of your document.

The End key, used with the control key, takes you to the end of your document quickly.

The Windows Flag Key, used with other keys, will give your various results - such as the Windows Flag Key alone brings up your start menu; the Windows Flag Key with the letter will Minimize all open windows; the Windows Flag Key and the letter E opens Windows Explorer

BRIDGING AMERICA - THE NEW HOOVER DAM BYPASS

For those of you who have been watching the “Hoover Dam ByPass” being built – did you know that the ceremony celebrating it’s opening is scheduled to be held on Saturday October 16th, 8am-2pm – called “Bridging America” and you can be part of it…

Check out this website:

www.celebratehooverbridge.com

Construction of the Bypass remains on schedule for opening to traffic in November 2010. Visit the Hoover Dam Bypass website:

www.hooverdambypass.org

for project history and construction photos

TERMS: MENU BAR, ACTION BUTTONS & TITLE BAR

Title Bar
Located at the top of the screen, your Title Bar always shows you where you are and what software program you are using. For example, when you open a new document, your Title Bar would display “Document 1 – Microsoft Word.” After you save the document the display will read (for instance) Weekly Schedule – Microsoft Word” – if you are visiting a webpage such as “All My Faves”, your Title Bar would display "All My Faves – Windows Internet Explorer".

Action Buttons
Located to the far right of the “Title Bar” there are three action buttons: minimize your screen ( - ), maximize your screen ([_]/Box ), or close/shut down the program ( X ).

Menu Bar
Located below the Title Bar, the menu bar allows you to access various menu selections by using your mouse and clicking. Certain commands & functions are always in the same "menu" such as you will always find Cut-Copy-Paste-Find-Replace in the Edit Menu..
Note: Newer versions of some software - such as Office 2007 & 2010 - no longer use the toolbar system with the Title & Menu Bars, but have replaced those with the newer Tab & Ribbon format...

What’s the difference between folders and files?

Folders - are very similar to manila folders in a file cabinet. Inside each of the Folders we will store our “files”. You can create sub-folders, or sub-sub folders to keep your “files” even more organized on different projects that you may be involved with. Such as initially you might have a folder for “Insurance”, but once it begins to get full – you may want to have sub-folders for different types of insurance: health, life, car, home, boat etc..

Files - each individual item we save on the computer – whether it is a photo, document, spreadsheet, song or video is known as a File. Files are the items that you are able to view and to work on if desired. An example would be the images you download from your digital camera; or the Word document that you've created. If you download a CD of music to your computer – although it is only 1 CD, each individual song or track of music is then an individual file.

TIPS:

• When naming files or folders we cannot use computer language symbols such as back or forwarded slashes ( / or \)
• When naming a file with dates you can use: 8.24.10 or 8-24-10 but cannot use 8/24/10.
• Use spaces when you name files or folders to make your filing easier.
• The filing system on the computer always puts numbers before letters 0-9 will always go before a-z, so if you want a file or folder to stay at the top, name it 0.0 to do - the zeros will keep it at the top, vs. naming it to do which would it put it towards the bottom of your list

Microsoft Operating System History

The initial Microsoft Operating System was introduced 25 years ago (Windows 1.0 followed by 3.0 5 years later in 1990).

But did you know that fifteen (15) years ago today, “August 25, 1995” Microsoft launched Windows 95 Operating System, which became the most widely used operating system in the world at that time.

And since then, well history speaks for itself. As we all know, there have been numerous upgrades including the following - which is your favorite?

• 1998 – Windows 98
• 1999 – Windows ME (millennium)
• 2000 – Windows 98 2nd Edition
• 2001 – Windows XP
• 2007 – Windows Vista was introduced March 1st
• 2009 – Windows 7 was introduced last October

What is Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer gives you a fast, easy way to view, copy, delete, move, etc., the folders and files found on all of your disk drives (like a big filing cabinet) It’s important to remember, Windows Explorer is very different from Internet Explorer..

Windows Explorer lets you play with – find & organize the files and folders on your computer, just as though it were a metal file cabinet and work easily moving and/or copying files and folders to and from different drives, such as when you are copying files/folders from your computer to your portable hard drive or flash drive.

Internet Explorer is “Browser” software that allows you to connect to other computers via the World Wide Web & search for information

The easiest way to access Windows Explorer is to hold the windows flag key down & tap the letter “E”. You can quickly and easily access the Windows Explorer this way without having to minimize any other applications or screens that you have open and are working with

What are Drivers?

DRIVERS ARE THE SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THAT CONTROL HARDWARE DEVICES.

All devices (printer, disk drive, keyboard, mouse) must have a driver software program.

Many drivers, such as the keyboard driver, come with the operating system; for other devices, you may need to “load” a new driver when you connect the device to your computer.

• In DOS systems, drivers are files with a.SYS extension
  In Windows environments, drivers often have a.DRV extension

Each device has its own set of special commands that only its driver knows. In contrast, most programs access devices by using generic commands. Almost all drivers can be “downloaded” directly from the manufacturer’s website, to ensure that you have the most current DRIVER installed on your system.

If a device isn't working correctly - such as your printer, scanner, webcam etc. - go to the manufacturer's website and "download" the driver again - it will see that you have software on your computer already for the hardware and will simply modify the instructions/software already on your computer.

Personally I do this twice a year (such as when the clocks change) to make sure my driver software is always the most up-t-date. it's quick and easy and it's free..

What are computer Drives

Drives are the “hardware/equipment” that read and write the information the various disks.

Disc drives rotate the disk very fast and have one or more heads that can read and/or write data to them..

When “drives” are put into the computer, the computer assigns them a “letter” making it easier to identify them to then be able t see what is stored/filed on the specific drive, such as:

• "C" is typically the Hard Drive on almost all computers is
• "D" is often times the CD or DVD Drive
• "E" or "F"- when you put your flash drive in the USB Port in one computer it might be the “E” Drive – in another computer it might be the “F” drive..

The "letter" the computer assigns, allows you to know where things are..

There are different types of disc drives, but the common ones that we work with are:

• CD-Rom can read audio and data CD discs
• CR-RW drives can read and record (burn) audio and data CD discs
• DVD-ROM drives can read CD and DVD discs
• DVD+RW+R Drives, can read and write (burn) CD and DVD discs
• COMBINATION DRIVES, combine the functions of 2 rives into one-either a DVD+RW/+R drive and a CD-RW drive or a DVD-RIM drive and a CR-RW drive
• Flash/jump drive and read and write to a flash/jump drive
• Hard disk drive (HDD) reads and writes hard disks (can be internal or external or totally portable)
• “6 in 1” - “50 In 1” Memory Card Readers – allows you to read from the memory cards of digital cameras and other media devices

Disk drives can be either internal (housed within the computer) or external (housed in a separate box that connects to the computer)

Software Programs & Drivers - What runs on 32-bit or 64-bit computers?

Still confused about what the terms 32-bit and 64-bit are all about. Simply these numbers refer to the way our computer's processor or brain (what you hear referred to as the CPU), handles information.

64-bit handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) much more quickly and effectively than a 32-bit system

Most programs designed for a computer running a 32-bit version of Windows will work on a computer running 64-bit versions of Windows, however major exceptions to this are:

• many (if not most) antivirus programs and
• some hardware drivers, including those for flash drives and printers

Drivers designed for 32-bit versions of Windows don't work on computers running a 64-bit version of Windows. If you're trying to install a printer or other device that only has 32-bit drivers available, it won't work correctly on a 64-bit version of Windows.
So if you aren’t sure or need help updating drivers or other troubleshooting issues with drivers for 64-bit versions of Windows, contact the manufacturer of the device or program

For more information before you upgrade to Windows 7, or about 32-bit vs 64-bit, check out microsoft's info site:

href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/system-requirements.aspx">http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/system-requirements.aspx

What is Windows 7 Operating System?

Windows 7 Operating System, like earlier operating systems, comes with a preset list of Internet Favorites, which can be seen in the navigation pane on the left hand side. But know that you are in control more than ever.

Folders and Favorites can be added to this list or removed, you can set up new folders, or even restore the originals… So many possibilities…and it’s easier than ever… By default, the favorite locations are:

• Recent Places
• Downloads
• Desktop

And your list may include

• Recorded TV (if you set it up in the Media Centre)

So to make changes....

• To remove any of these from the list, right-click on what you don’t want, and when the action menu appears, choose “Remove” and it will be deleted
• To add your own folders to the Favorites list, when you have the website open, Right-click on Favorites in the navigation pane – when the action menu appears, choose “Add current location to Favorites” and it will be added
• Changed your mind – maybe deleted the wrong folder – to restore your Favorites list to its previous state, just Right-click on Favorites; Click on “Restore favorite links” from the action menu that appears. This doesn’t remove any of the new locations that you’ve added, it just brings back the original ones

Volume Controls for Sound

Certainly many of us can simply “dial the volumn” controls on our speakers, but just as many of us may have speakers set up out of “easy reach” or we may need to be able to do it quickly and easily from the computer as we work, especially when the phone rings and we need to quickly “mute” the sound.

You can use Volume Control to adjust the volume, balance, bass, and treble settings for sounds played on your computer or by multimedia applications. You can also use Volume Control to adjust the level of system sounds, microphones, CD audio, line-in, synthesizer, and wave output.

• To open Volume Control, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment, and then click Volume Control OR
• Far Right hand corner of task bar, in the area known as the "system tray" (to left of the time) you will see a speaker icon, LEFT CLICK on it to open full controls OR RIGHT CLICK on it for quick control for sound & mute only…
• Sound Cards allow us to use Volume Control to control the volumn and speaker balance when we play audio files.
• When you have your Volume Control Dialog Box open, you can also check out the Help menu for more details and options.

What is "phishing" and how to avoid it

Phishing is an increasingly common type of spam that can lead to theft of your personal details such as credit card numbers or online banking passwords.

Phishing attacks work by the scam artist sending "spoofed" emails that appear to come from a legitimate website that you have online dealings with such as a bank, credit card company or ISP - any site which requires users to have a personal identity or account. The email may ask you to reply with your account details in order to "update security" or for some other reason.

The phishing email may also direct you to a spoofed website or pop-up window which looks exactly like the real site, but has been set up for the sole purpose of stealing personal information. Unsuspecting people are then often fooled into handing over credit card numbers, passwords or other details.

• Never respond to emails that request personal financial informationBanks or e-commerce companies generally personalize emails, while phishers do not. Phishers often include false but sensational messages ("urgent - your account details may have been stolen") in order to get an immediate reaction. Reputable companies don't ask their customers for passwords or account details in an email. Even if you think the email may be legitimate, don't respond - contact the company by phone or by visiting their website.
• Visit bank or other financial, retail or medical websites by typing the URL (web address) into the address bar yourself. Phishers often use links within emails to direct their victims to a spoofed site, usually to a similar address such as mybankonline.com instead of mybank.com. When clicked on, the URL shown in the address bar may look genuine, but there are several ways it can be faked, taking you to the spoofed site. If you suspect an email from your bank or online company is false, do not follow any links embedded within it.
• Keep a regular check on your accounts - Regularly log into your accounts & and check your statements. If you see any suspicious transactions report them to your bank or credit card provider.

Be sure the website you are visiting is secure - Always, before you submit any personal or fiancial information, always check to ensure the site uses encryption to protect your personal data:

1. Check the web address in the address bar. If the website you’re visiting is on a secure server it should start with "https://" ("s" for security) rather than the usual "http://"
2. Look for a lock icon on the browser's status bar. Check the level of encryption, expressed in bits, by hovering over the icon with your cursor. Note that the fact that the website is using encryption doesn't necessarily mean that the website is legitimate; it only tells you data is being sent in encrypted form.

What is a computer virus?

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without our permission or knowledge. The term "virus" is commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware & spyware programs that don’t have reproductive abilities.

• A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a CD, DVD, or USB drive.
• Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.

Viruses are very different (technically) from COMPUTER WORMS & TROJAN HORSES:

• A WORM can use security vulnerabilities to spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host
• A TROJAN HORSE is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agenda. Worms and Trojans, like viruses, may cause harm to either a computer system's hosted data, functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are executed. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but most are hidden. This makes it hard for most users to notice, find and disable and is why anti-virus programs are now commonplace

How to use the Windows “Find” & "Search" command

The "FIND" & "SEARCH" commands are so helpful when we are working on the Internet, in emails, and especially in operating system and application programs, such as Word, Excel, Power Point, BookSmart or others.

We use the 'FIND" & "SEARCH" commands to quickly and easily search for:

• within a web page that's open in your favorite browser OR
• search for a word or phrase in a Microsoft document OR
• use it to search for a file or folder on your computer

To access the FIND functions in the program you are working in, you can go the Menu Bar in that program, then go to Edit, and it will be in your toolbar list

OR
Use your keyboard shortcuts to find/search for text in a document or webpage - simply press the CTRL + F keys at the same time and this will open the FIND function.

OR

To access the SEARCH functions, to easily find a folder or file on your computer, go to your START menu and the SEARCH function is listed and it will then display the SEARCH dialog box to help you find what you are looking for by either name or contents

Adding Photos or Clip Art to Word Documents

There are so many ways to enhance documents created in Word, Excel and other programs – but one of the most common is to add photo’s we’ve taken or saved to the computer, or to add clip-art.

To “add” a photo or clip art you will go to “INSERT” on your menu bar or ribbon, which will give you the various choices of what you want to “INSERT”. In older versions of Word, you will go to:

• Menu Bar
• Insert
• Pictures
• Now choose File to find the photo you’ve saved in My Pictures OR Clip Art, OR Word Art, OR Symbols
• Once you choose what you want to insert, left click on the photo or clip art, choose OK and it will appear on your document

IMPORTANT TIP:
In order to easily work with your photo, clip art, word art or symbol once it is on your document – immediately go the Text Wrapping Icon (looks like a little dog on a postage stamp) – when you left click on thus icon a list will appear – choose THROUGH – this allows you to now work with (size and or move) your photo, clip art, word art or symbol, where ever and how ever you would like…

If you forget to activate this option – as you move your photo or clip art – you will see your text being “pushed out of the way” and they won’t work together compatibly…

So take control and remember to activate the Text Wrapping Icon…

Copy, Paste, the “Clipboard” & “Ditto”

“DITTO” is a free feature available in Windows Operating Systems XP, Vista & 7 and is free

The “CLIPBOARD” is the “virtual spot” where items are held when you use either the copy or cut feature. So when you activate the copy or cut command, whatever you have “highlighted” and then copied or cut, will be held on the CLIPBOARD. It will remain there until you activate the PASTE command and remember, you can activate the paste command wherever you’d like – in an email, in a document using word, word pad, word perfect, an excel spreadsheet, that book you are working on in BookSmart or Walgreen’s, or any where else.

This is useful for URLs (web addresses from your browsers address bar), news articles, instant messaging, e-mail and much much more.

Typically the clipboard can only hold one thing at a time*. You can copy a block of text and paste it somewhere else. Then you have to go back for the next block. To copy and paste multiple things, you have to go back and forth.

*The clipboards in newer versions of Office programs, such as Word, Excel, Power Point, Access & others can hold many more items than a single item; this has been true since Office 2000 and the number items which can be stored has increased with each newer version of Office

You can activate “Ditto” which takes away the “one item a time” limitation. It allows your clipboard to hold more than one entry. So copy a URL and some text and a few e-mail messages. Then paste them wherever you'd like without going back and forth. Your clipboard holds it all.

You can copy and paste just like you've always done. To activate “Ditto” use your keyboard shortcut - press Ctrl + `. You'll see a list of past items you have placed on the “clipboard”; just click on the one you want to paste.

Excel – what do the “auto’s” mean

When you are working in Excel – there are several “auto” functions and they can be confusing as to how and why they are different.. Hopefully this will help…

AutoFill – creates and/or completes a series of values in an Excel spreadsheet – for example you can type January at the top of a column, and if you then drag the + auto handle from the bottom right corner of the cell that January is typed in across the rows to the right of January, Excel will now “auto-fill” February, March, April etc and continue on…

AutoFormat – adds chosen attributes to your spreadsheets, such as font styles and sizes, borders and even ranges of numerical styles – so highlight the table or area you want to format and when you choose format, auto format various styles, colors etc will appear – choose the one you like and Excel will now format that portion of the table or spreadsheet that you have highlighted – don’t like what you’ve chosen – change it

AutoSum – this adds up a column or several columns or a row of figures in a spreadsheet. This is the icon for Auto Sum “S” – So if you put your cursor in a cell at the end of a row or column (or you can highlight the range of cells” and then click on this icon on the toolbar – once you have clicked on the icon, press enter on your keyboard and Excel will calculate the total for the selected range (By the way the keyboard shortcut for this that does the same thing is: Alt + =)

Aligning your text

It is very easy to align your text - but let the computer do it for you - never use the space key several dozen times to "center" text in a document, email or other application....

When you use Microsoft Word, Works, Word Pad or Word Perfect an this also works for cells in Excel, slides in Power Point, in most email programs when you are typing a new email message and many other software programs when you are working with “text”.

The "alignment buttons" allow you to easily align your text and the 4 standard options are:

• Left
• Center
• Right
• Justify/full justify (used to be called block style)

On your formatting toolbar (or in the Home Tab Ribbon of Word 2007/2010) you will see 4 “alignment buttons”.

When your cursor/pointer is in the word, sentence or paragraph you want to change the alignment for, simply click on the alignment button of your choice..

Quickly Minimize & Restore Open Windows/Applications

Keyboard Shortcuts allow us to implement commands quickly and easily – 2 favorites that we use are:

• When you want to “minimize” all open windows/applications so that you can return quickly and easily to the desktop – simply hold the Windows Flag Key and tap the letter “M”..
• Then to return/restore your windows/applications to their original state, simply hold the Windows Flag Key, the Shift Key and the letter “M”..

What is the Computer Control Panel?

The CONTROL PANEL is where we can change many ways in which our computer and the peripheral hardware work, including your printer, keyboard, mouse, monitor – your audio & video functions and add or remove software just to name a few..

To access the control panel – you can go to Start and when the Start Menu appears – choose control panel (in older versions of Windows – you need to go to Settings to find the control panel).

The look of the Control Panel has changed considerably with with Windows Vista & Windows 7 Operating Systems. Both of these newer Operating Systems offer two different views of the Control Panel: Classic View and Category View, and it is possible to switch between these views through an option that appears on the left side of the window

Many of the individual Control Panel “commands” can be accessed in other often quicker ways – a favorite is when you want to make changes to the Display Properties – instead of going to the Control Panel and choosing Display, when you are on the Desktop – simply Right Click on any emptry area of the Desktop, choose Properties and the same Display Properties Dialog box will appear for you to work with.

4th of July Festivities & Fireworks in Lake Havasu City…

Have a wonderful, safe & happy holiday weekend and if you are looking for some fun & fireworks in Lake Havasu City... check this out.....

The festival begins Sunday July 4th at 4 pm at the north grassy-area of Rotary Community Park including a vendor village with food and retail booths, a beer gardens, live DJ music, and a kid’s play area. The Beer Garden will serve individuals during the festival and fireworks. Proceeds will benefit local charities during the year through Lake Havasu City Professional Firefighters Association’s guardian-angel-type fund

The kids area will have ongoing contests including potato-sack races, a water-house, waterslide, a sponge run and other activities-contests & activates will be announced over a public address system.

The watermelon- and pie-eating contests will begin about 6 p.m. at the main stage,

At 9 p.m. the expanded 23 minute fireworks spectacular will take place and spectators can tune in to radio station KNTR AM 980 or 97.1 FM for a 21-minute compilation of patriotic-themed music

There is a non-resident fee of $5 to park in Rotary Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend. The fee will be waived for part-time Havasu residents who can provide a utility bill,. Remember - No alcohol or dogs are allowed in the park..

Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday weekend.. and a little trivia about the 4th

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, starting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

Independence Day was first observed in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a federal legal holiday. John Adams proclaimed: "It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore."

The basics of the U.S.A. :

• Capital: Washington, D.C.
• Motto: "In God We Trust"
• National Anthem: "The Star Spangled Banner"
• National Bird: Bald Eagle
• National Flower: Rose

A few facts about our National Bird, the Bald Eagle…

• Benjamin Franklin, John Adams & Thomas Jefferson served on the committee that picked the eagle for the national seal (Franklin wanted the turkey.)
• Bald eagles have few natural enemies & live only in North America.
• Bald eagles get their white head & tail feathers about 4-5 years of age.
• The only other kind of eagle in North America is the golden eagle.
• Bald eagles mate for life, but if one dies, the survivor will accept a new mate.
• It is a felony to shoot an eagle

That Fireworks were invented in China in the 12th century to ward off evil spirits and the US imports an estimated $128 million in fireworks from China each year.

'The Star Spangled Banner' was written by Frances Scott Key and was originally set to the tune of an English drinking song in 1814.

Calvin Coolidge, our nation's 30th president, was born on July 4th, 1872. He is the only president to claim this honor.

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe, all presidents, all died on a 4th of July.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council state that over 150 million hot dogs are consumed during Independence Day festivities. That's a lot of dogs, people!

The Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign at the same time, nor did they sign on July 4, 1776. The official event occurred on August 2, 1776, when 50 men signed it. Their names were kept from the public for six months to protect the signers since they would have been punished with death if independence had not been achieved (you know, treason and all).

The salute of the union occurs on Independence Day at noon: One gun shot is fired for each state.

The American flag has 50 stars (one for each state) and 13 alternating red and white stripes (one for each colony). There is no official designation or meaning for the colors of the flag. However, when the Great Seal of the United States was chosen this is what was listed for them.

• white for purity and innocence
• red for valor and hardiness
• blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice

Bristol, Rhode Island is noted as having the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration.

Printing Options-What to print

When you are in any of the office types of software programs (Word, Excel, Power Point etc), the quickest way to print what you are working on is to use the Printer Icon on your toolbar, BUT when you do this, you will print the entire document, spreadsheet or presentation.

Often we want to print just a paragraph/selection, or just the current page, slide or worksheet we are working on – or possibly several different pages or slides, such as page 2, 7-11, and 27.. You can do either of these very easily – you control what is going to be printed…

To control what you are printing when your work is open:
Go to the Menu Bar > File > Print OR in the newer versions of Office (2007, 2010) open the Office Button > Print
The Print Dialog Box opens > In the bottom left side, you can now choose:

• All
• Current Page
• Pages
• Selection (this is only a choice when you have highlighted something such as a paragraph)

On the right side, you can choose:

• Whether you want it collated or not
• How many copies
• In Word, you can choose how many pages you want printed on a page

What is a ZIP file?

.Zip file format is the standard method for "compressing" files on a computer - it allows us to condense large groups of files into one smaller file. If and when someone sends you a "compressed or zipped file" you will need to decompress or "unzip" the files. The most popular Zip program is "winzip" and you can download a free trial version from "winzip.com" or other free programs from many other shareware sites (such as shraeware.com or passtheshareware.com or thesharewareportal.com)

You can also "unzip" a file from Windows Explorer:

• Open Windows Explorer (using the Flag Key + E is the easiest way)
• Now Right click on the folder you are attempting to "unzip"
• Select "Extract to"
• Now choose the folder you want WinZip to decompress the files to.
• Make sure the "Use folder names" box is checked so any specified folders are recreated.
• If the box is left blank, all the different files will be unzipped into the single selected folder

Folders vs. Files – What’s the Difference?

When you are "saving/filing" items on your computer - it is helpful to know the difference between a file and/or a folder... sounds obvious - but to many this is confusing...

FILES – are each individual item on your computer that has a name – so if you take 5 photos, your camera will give them each a name – that “name” is a file – all file names end with an extension that tell us and the computer what the file is most photo’s will end in .jpg or maybe .bmp, .gif, .png, .tif etc.. If you have a music CD you want to copy/download to the computer, and that one CD has 12 music tracks – then there will be 12 different file names – music/audio file extensions might be .mp3, .wav, .wma

FOLDERS – symbolized with a manila folder – are the places where we store/file things of a like nature – PC’s are shipped with common folders - With Windows 98 and XP Operating Systems, the common folder names are: “My Documents”; “My Pictures”, “My Music”, “My Videos”, “My Scans”; in newer Windows Operating Systems, Vista & Windows 7, the word “My” has been dropped in your filing libraries

You can create as many folders, sub-folders, sub-sub folders, etc. as you would like. When you create a new folder - remember that whatever folder is highlighted in Windows Explorer or in the Filing Name Drop Down Box - that becomes the "Parent" to your new folder and therefore your new folder can & will be found "inside" that highlighted folder...

Happy Father's Day

Anyone can be a father,
But it takes someone special to be a DAD
So for all our special dads & grand-dads – here’s to you..
Happy Fathers Day and thank you for being such a wonderful dad…

MY DAD
When I was just a tiny kid,
Do you remember when,
The time you kissed my bruises,
Or cleaned by soiled chin?

You scrambled for the balls I hit,
(Short-winded more than not,)
Yet, every time we'd play a game,
You praised the "outs" I caught.

It seems like only yesterday,
You wiped away my tears,
And late at night I called your name,
To chase away my fears.

Though time has changed your handsome grip,
Your hair is snowy white,
You gait's a little slower now,
Thick glasses help your sight.

Oh, do I thirst for years gone by,
To be that growing lad,
Re-living all of the memories,
Of growing with my dad.

…Author Unknown


Grandfathers Are Fathers Who Are Grand
Grandfathers are fathers who are grand,
Restoring the sense that our most precious things
Are those that do not change much over time.
No love of childhood is more sublime,
Demanding little, giving on demand,
Far more inclined than most to grant the wings
Allowing us to reach enchanted lands.
Though grandfathers must serve as second fathers,
Helping out with young and restless hearts,
Each has all the patience wisdom brings,
Remembering our passions more than others,
Soothing us with old and well-honed arts.

…Author Unknown

PRINTING FROM THE INTERNET Part 2 of 2

The first two options we reviewed in Part 1, are for quick-easy printing directly from the internet. But, many times we want to be able to change/enlarge the Print style or size of what we are printing from the Internet to make it easier to read, especially with articles, directions, and other important information. So that is when this option works well…

Option 3:

• “Highlight” the portion of the Internet item you want to print & change (to copy to Word)
• Be sure pointer is on what’s highlighted then "Right click" on what you have highlighted and an action menu appears - choose/left click on "copy"
• Minimize email/internet; Open Word, NotePad, Works, whatever WP program you use
• Right click again (be sure pointer is on the blank page Word, etc), Left click "paste"
• Now in Word, NotePad or Works, make your print/font style, size changes
• To print, either left click on the printer icon on the toolbar OR
• Left click on "file" on the toolbar, then left click on "print"
• Left click “selection or current page" in page range section & "number of copies you want"
• Left click "OK" and it will now print with all your changes

To Save what you have now worked on, left click on "File", then "Save As", then be sure you are in "C" Drive, then "My Documents" or find your Flash Drive/Memory Stick and choose that - then choose the folder you want to put it in and left click on Save

TIP: try not to use the printer icon on your internet toolbar, because when you print using this ICON, you will print everything on your monitor including the ads, etc..

PRINTING FROM THE INTERNET – Part 1 of 2

When you are reading something on the “Internet” - your email, a newspaper article or something else on a website, you may want to print it for someone else or for your own future reference. There are a few options on how you can do this quickly & easily...

OPTION 1:

• Almost all email and other media websites today show a “Print” icon or “Print view” – formerly known as Printer Friendly Version) usually at the top or sometimes at the bottom of what we are reading.
• When you click on this Print icon, the website will copy what you have chosen, but eliminates almost all unnecessary info/ads from the page so that you only print the article or email – saves a lot of ink and paper.
• Now the print dialog box will appear, choose/left click "selection" in page range section (one of the "print range" choices)
• Then left click "number of copies you want"
• Then left click "OK" and what you have chosen prints without all the unnecessary ads etc.

OPTION 2:

• Another option is to “Highlight” just the portion of the email/article that you want to print
• Left click on "file" on the toolbar, then left click on "print"
• The print dialog box will appear, choose/left click "selection" in page range section (one of the "print range" choices)
• Then left click "number of copies you want"
• Then left click "OK" and "what you highlighted" will now print

TIP: try not to use the printer icon on your Internet toolbar, because when you print using this ICON, you will print everything on your monitor including the ads, etc..

What do the tags mean on websites .com, .net .org

When the world wide web was launched in 1989 the .com and .net extensions at the end of a website were used to help categorize the several hundred websites available at that time - .com meant a commercial website and .net meant telecommunication.. Now there are a growing number of “extensions” and this list will continue to grow as does the number of websites… here are just a few extensions you might recognize…

.arts - Cultural groups
.biz - Used by small business
.com - Commercial
.edu - Educational
.firm - Firms and businesses
.gov - Government
.info - Informational services
.int - International
.mil - Military
.mus - Museums
.name - Individual/personal names
.net - Telecommunication Co’s
.nom - Personal websites
.org - Non-profit Organization
.store - Businesses offering goods
.tv - Entertainment industry
.web - Entities w/ties to the web

Because of the growing use of names/websites, more "tags" are being added and in addition to the standard tags (.com; .net) you’ll begin seeing two (2) letter tags, such as .au, .uk, .de and .jp which relate to a countries & geographic locations - au = Australia; uk=United Kingdom, etc...

What is a PDF document???

PDF: Short for Portable Document Format, a file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF captures formatting information from a variety of software application programs – including Microsoft Word & Excel, Word Perfect and others, so that it is possible to send formatted documents and have them appear on the recipient's monitor or printer as they were intended. So they are welcome to open, read, save & print the documents – but they cannot change them.. When you and I visit websites, such as the registry of motor vehicles, IRS, medical, insurance and other such websites, forms we download are often done in PDF format so that we can view them, save them, print them as we need them – we just couldn’t modify them or change any information on them. In order to view them however, we need to have the Adobe Reader, which is a free application distributed by Adobe Systems

To download the latest version of Adobe Reader go to this website:
http://www.get.adobe.com/reader/

What is a Firewall??

A firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both.
Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets.
All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria.
Many anti-virus programs contain firewalls which you can turn on or off when you want to download authorized new programs
Your Internet provider has numerous firewalls and other security precautions to protect them and all of us when we are using their Internet services

KEYBOARD - WHAT DO ALL THOSE KEYS DO?

KEYBOARD enables you to communicate with the computer by typing information and instructions into the computer (the type of keyboard we use are used for computers and cell phones as “QWERTY STYLE).

A NUMBERIC KEYPAD is located at the right of the keyboard. It is used like a 10-key calculator.

The top row of keys are FUNCTION KEYS. They perform specific tasks in software applications – such as F5 refreshes your screen when you are on the internet; F11 gives you a full screen for more viewing area.

ESC. or “ESCAPE” on the top left of your keyboard allows you to stop a task at anytime.

The CTRL or “CONTROL” keys are on the bottom left and right corners of your keyboard. They are used with other keys to complete commands.

The ENTER key is on the center row, right side of your keyboard. Use enter to move your cursor down a line.

The BACKSPACE key is on the right end of the row of number keys on your keyboard. Pressing the backspace key moves your cursor one space to the left, and eliminates any typing as it moves.

The 4 ARROW KEYS - up, down, left and right keys on the keyboard allow you to move around your document without destroying your work.
Up = one line;
Down = one line;
Left = one character or letter;
Right = one character or letter

The DELETE key will eliminate any typing to the right of the blinking cursor.

The PAGE UP & PAGE DOWN keys allow you to move up and down on a page of your document quickly.

The HOME key takes you to the beginning of your current line of type.

The END key takes you to the end of your current line of type.

The HOME key with the CTRL key, takes you to the very beginning of your document.

The END key with the CTRL key, takes you to the end of your document quickly.

Fun websites for May

It's Memorial Day Weekend and we thought you'd enjoy checking out a favorite Memorial Day website with lots of helpful information about the holiday and th way it is celebrated.. enjoy

www.usmemorialday.org

When I want to know which websites are “Hot” – we can always check out

www.allmyfaves.com

which we’ve been talking about for a few years now and is on our favorite list..

Another favorite website to visit that lists their opinion of the top “100 websites” is:

www.100bestwebsites.org

Want to travel from the comfort of home, then check out web cams all over the world, including spring tulip farms in Holland, the oil spill in the gulf, cape cod beaches, the Eiffel Tower and many many more:

www.earthcam.com

So check them out - and if you have a favorite website you'd like us to share with everyone - just send it to me and remember to save websites you visit to your favorite or bookmark list so they are easy to visit again in the future..

Enjoy the Internet - where we can learn & explore anytime - anywhere…

NAMING & SAVING WORK

NAME YOUR WORK AND SAVE IT OFTEN

• When you open a document in Word, Works, Excel, Power Point or any type of “creation’ application software – they will have a document or project number until we give them a name of our choice
• The more “new documents, spreadsheets, power point slide show presentations” you open” the higher the numbers get all day
• You want to ALWAYS name your document, spreadsheets, power point slide show presentations, ASAP, so you can find it
• To name to the document to the Menu Bar (or the office button in the newer Office 2007 products) Choose File – Save As – It will open “My Documents” , and either choose or create the folder you want to save your work in
• In class – if you also want to save it to your Flash/Memory stick, repeat the process and once you choose “Save As” remember to go to “My Computer” and find the DRIVE that your flash/Memory stick is on–now open “My Documents” and either choose or create the folder you want to save your work in
• NAME THE DOCUMENT so you can find it in the future – Click Ok or Save

TIPS:

• Once your work is saved – in the future – you can simply click on the SAVE ICON often which will save your additions and changes to the named document you have
• If you are creating a second document, then you would repeat the steps above, giving this work an entirely new name

COPY, PASTE & HIGHLIGHTING TIPS

COPY AND MOVE FILES & FOLDERS:
Cutting, copying, and pasting are essential techniques in working with and organizing files and folders. There are several ways to copy and move objects in Windows Explorer (AND TO OPEN WINDOWS EXPLORER-USE YOUR WINDOWS FLAG KEY + E)

• Copying a file or folder by using the Standard Buttons Toolbar
• Copying a file or folder by using the Menu
• Copying a file or folder by dragging

COPYING A GROUP OF DOCUMENTS, PHOTOS OR MUSIC:

• In the left pane, choose/highlight the drive you want to add items to: C Drive; Removable Drive or CD/DVD (to see what's on it); Right click on it – choose PROPERTIES on the menu list to see how much space is used/available
• Point to the drive you are taking the work/photo’s from, "C" drive, "My Documents", "Your folder".. On the right pane you will see all the sub-folder, highlight the folder/folders (see highlighting tips noted below) you want to copy, Activate COPY command
• In the left pane, Add/create a new folder for the items in the Drive they are going to
• Once created, point/highlight the folder the work is being sent to
• Now activate the PASTE command – you will see them flying over!!
• On the left pane, highlight the new folder and you will see all the work that’s been added on the right pane

To Copy documents from one folder to another, you can select all the documents by either holding down the shift or control buttons, then holding down the left mouse button and dragging the documents into the correct folder.

HIGHLIGHTING TIPS:

• JUST ONE ITEM: Simply left click on it to highlight it
• RANDOM: To highlight “random documents, files, pictures etc.: Hold down your CTRL key on the keyboard, then left click/choose the files you want
• GROUP: To highlight “group of documents, files, pictures, etc” Left click/choose the first picture or file in the group; hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, then left click/choose the last photo or file in the group
• ALL: To highlight all of the documents, files, pictures, etc. at once, simply use hold down your CTRL key and the letter A (CTRL+A) or go to the Menu Bar, File, and choose Select All.

HOW TO CUT/COPY & PASTE:

1. Select /highlight what you want to Cut or Copy
2. Then activate CUT or COPY (any of 5 ways)
3. Go to Where you Want what You’ve Cut or Copy to GO-be sure to choose the correct drive, folder and or sub-folder..
4. To find your travel drive-Open my computer & find the right drive Then activate PASTE (any of 5 ways)

Speeding Up Spreadsheet "Excel" Data Entry

When you are using spreadsheet software, such as Excel, and have a lot of data entry work to do for your mailing list or budget - try to use your keyboard instead of reaching for your mouse.

Using the mouse, is the slow way of doing anything on a computer. It's fine if you have only a small amount of data to enter or if you're not in a hurry. To speed up your data entry use the keyboard. Below is a list of keys that you can use when you want to quickly enter your data.

• Enter key: enters the data and moves the active cell highlight down to the next cell in the current column
• Tab key: enters the data and moves the active cell highlight to the next cell in the current row
• Arrow keys: enters the data and moves the active cell highlight to the next cell in the direction of the specific arrow key pressed. For example, if the up arrow is pressed, the active cell highlight moves up to the next cell in the current column
• Esc key: cancels the current data entry

Using Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer is the computers “filing cabinet” allowing you to quickly & easily move and or copy item (s) from one folder and or drive to another..

QUICK & EASY WAY TO OPEN "WINDOWS EXPLORER" use keyboard shortcut: hold down the windows flag key and tap the letter E... This will always open the Windows Explorer no matter where you are on your computer (minimizing anything else you had open)

• The Windows Explorer Screen is divided into two sections/panes: Left & right and divided with separator bar.
• In Windows Explorer - whatever is highlighted on the left column, is what you are looking at on the right side of the screen
• Windows Explorer Left Pane uses plus (+) and minus (-) signs to display or close what is in a folder in older operating systems (XP & older) and in the newer vists or 7, it uses > arrows

TO CREATE A FOLDER (OR SUB FOLDERS) IN WINDOWS EXPLORER:

• Open Windows Explorer – Expand whatever drive or folder you want to put your new folder in
• Be sure on the left that you have highlighted the folder you want your new folder to be in
• In older operating systems (XP or older) you can either right click on the folder/drive you are on or go to the menu bar, File, New, then choose folder - a folder will appear and you now type in the new name for this folder
• In newer operating systems (Vista or 7) you will see on the action bar at the top of your screen - New Folder or Create new folder - again when you choose this, a folder will appear and you now type in the new name for this folder

TIPS FOR BETTER DIGITAL PHOTOS

FIRST AND FOREMOST: Visit your camera manufacturer’s website – whether they will have lots of helpful tips and suggestions specific to your camera and how to take great pictures.. Always check the flash range and how close you can get to your subjects; which vary with every camera

GET CLOSER TO WHAT YOUR ARE PHOTOGRAPHING: The most common mistake we all make is that we are too far away from the person or object we are photographing… Get closer and if you aren’t sure how close – as always check your camera to see what the manufacturer recommends so your pictures are not blurry.

TAKE PHOTOS ON THE SAME LEVEL AS YOUR SUBJECT : Hold your camera at the same levels as who y0u are photographing – whether that is an adult, children or animal… Yes that might mean stooping down – but the results are wonderful… being at eye level improves the quality of your picture…

OFF CENTER HAS ITS ADVANTAGES: Often times if we move our subject to the side of the photo – versus dead center – our photo will have more life & personality… But remember if you have an auto-focus camera you need to lock it so it doesn’t focus on whatever is in the center

LOCK THE FOUCS: You can check the manufacturers recommendations on locking your focus, but usually all you have to do is center the subject and press and hold the shutter button halfway down, then when you are still holding the button, reposition your camera so the subject is away from the center and then pressing the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.

THE MORE SIMPLE THE BACKGROUND THE BETTER: too often our subjects get lost in the back ground – so consider shooting up towards the sky at your subject or have them move so that they don’t have “objects” growing out of their bodies, like chair legs or poles.

WHAT ABOUT LIGHTING?: No doubt, this is critical to great pictures – watch for shadows and don’t hesitate to move or have your subject move and on vacation, when you are attempting to take those great landscape shots, try to take pictures early or late in the day when the light had different tints and can greatly enhance your scenery shots.

SHOOTING IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT: Consider using your flash to help lighten your subjects faces. Some cameras have 2 choices fill-flash mode or full-flash mode. We use fill-flash mode when the person is within five feet and we use full-power mode for beyond five feet… On overcast days – try your pictures both ways with & without the flash – often times without gives your photos a soft glow..

Digital Camera Terms & Tips

Some common digital camera terms we hear and what they mean:

ISO: Traditionally used as an indicator of sensitivity for film cameras, ISO on modern digital cameras represents the camera’s sensitivity to light. Generally, the darker the scene, the higher the ISO should be set.

APERTURE: The aperture, or “f-stop” to the film purists, is the amount of light the lens lets into the camera. This can be adjusted in single-lens reflex cameras. The aperture is fixed for most point-and-shoots.

IMAGE STABILIZATION: This refers to a part of the digital camera, built into the body or the lens, that prevents “camera shake” in pictures.

DIGITAL/OPTICAL ZOOM:

• OPTICAL ZOOM refers to the manual zoom on a camera, which is located on the lens. Twisting the lens moves it closer to the subject. This is important – they higher the optical zoom the more “zoom” ability you have – 3x optical zoom was common, but today many cameras have 10x & 12x zoom..
• DIGITAL ZOOM is not used by moving the lens, rather it is part of the software of the camera. Most digital cameras – even point-and-shoots – have a form of both. Many consider digital zoom – camera hype…

CONTINUOUS PHOTO SPEED/BUFFER: Every digital camera has continuous photo speed; the number you set it on is the number of photos you can take per second. The faster the camera’s continuous speed, the more photos you can get per second.

Two types of digital cameras

In general, there are two main types of cameras you can buy: the point-and-shoot and the SLR.

SLR MEANS SINGLE-LENS REFLEX, which means you are looking directly through the lens. SLR cameras often bring in a great deal more light and can be used as camcorders, Adams said. They are typically more expensive and are usually the top choice for pros and shutterbugs alike – one of the most popular is the Canon Rebel for about $750

POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA’S, this is by far the most popular type of digital camera sold today - point and shoot means that you are looking at the screen on the back which shows you what is coming through the megapixels on the lens. Some point-and-shoot cameras have their own technological advantages, however. The new Sony Cyber-shot camera, for example, can take panoramic images for you while you simply turn in a circle. It is a 10.2mp and cost about $250. So instead of having to work with, or manipulate the cameras “stitching feature” to accomplish the panoramic photos, the camera does it for you.

BUYING TIPS:
Consider the price - set your budget and stick with it - Camera technology is changing so rapidly that what is new today will be obsolete tomorrow
Consider asking to look at the discontinued models which are often much less expensive - remember yesterday they were "current" so consider buying something that has just been replaced with the newer model and save yourself some money - often as much as 50% or more

Music lovers-check out Pandora Radio – it’s free

Pandora Radio (which is free) is different from other Internet radio sites - check it out for yourself…

At: http://www.pandora.com/

According to Wikipedia.com, Pandora has two subscription plans:

• a free subscription supported by advertisements, and
• a fee-based subscription without ads.

A free account user may reach the streaming limit of 40 hours per month, and continue unlimited streaming by paying $0.99. There are also advertisements in "Pandora Mobile" for mobile phones and the "Pandora in The Home" computer appliance.

As of March 2010, Pandora had 700,000 tracks in its library and 48 million users who listened for 11.6 hours per month on average

To find out just how Pandora works, check out…

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/pandora.htm