March Computer Classes

MARCH… the month of “luck & leprechauns” – so change your luck with your computer; learn all you can and become more comfortable and more creative.. These are just some of our computer classes being held in the next few weeks - 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....If you have any questions about a specific class or topic – email me: cherie_houston@hotmail.com

PICASA PHOTO EDITING LSC100A-SEC 124 Tues & Wed 8:30-12:20pm, Mar 2 & 3 - Two 4 hour classes-Learn to edit & print DIGITAL photo’s using Picasa (a free Google software); learn to upload photo’s from your camera and/or scanner to the PC & learn to order prints online - Bring your digital camera to class

BLOGGING BASICS LSC080-122 Tuesdays, 1-4:50pm, Mar 2 & 9 - Two 4 hour classes – Get a better understanding of “social networking” “Facebook” “Twittering” etc and learn to Create your Own Blog for your family, group or organization - Learn how, why & when to post, comment on posts, design features such as Templates; Gadgets, Add Ons: Links, Photos, Slide Shows, Blog Tools & more

POWER POINT LSC069D-222 Wednesday & Thursday, 1-4:50pm, Mar 3 & 4 - 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)

WORD IRON ON TRANSFER PROJECT LSC100-123 Thursday, 8:30am-12:20pm, Mar 4 - A 4 hour workshop using Microsoft Word to create “iron on transfer projects” using text, graphics, photos, word art and more for fun t-shirts, quilts, canvas tote bags & other fabric projects … Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

CREATE/PUBLISH YOUR OWN BOOK LSC100-126 Mon & Fri, 8:30am-12:20pm, Mar 8 & 11 - Two 4 hour classes learning to create & publish your own book, using free book publishing software from www.blurb.com known as personal book making & publishing-Use your WP skills & digital photos and learn in quantities as small as just one. You decide: soft or hard cover, various sizes, all text, all photos or a combination of photos & text, story book or recipe book Bring photos to class (on camera or flash drive)

EMAIL HOW TO’S LSC071-122 Tuesday & Thursday, 8:30am-12:20pm, Mar 9 & 11 - Two 4 hour classes to enhance your basic email skills – work extensively with attachments of all types – documents, photos, videos, power point – learn to open & save, find & attach. Also learn to work with hyperlinks; learn to copy & paste to & from emails, internet and word

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-122 Wed & Thurs 1pm-4:50pm Mar 10 & 11 - 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

Mohave College Campus will Close for Spring Break Sunday-Sunday, March 14th-21st

COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC 062-122 Mon & Wed, 8:30-12:20pm, Mar 22 & 24 - 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..

Quick Launch in Windows 7

By Default - the Quick Launch Bar is disabled in Windows 7. To "enable it" or turn it back on...

• Right click on the Task Bar
• Choose New Folder
• In the folder name: copy in the following:
  http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/888-quick-launch-enable-disable.html
• You will now see the Quick Launch added to your Task Bar - BUT it now appears on the right side of the screen, versus the left side

When your applications are open - you will see the multiple sites and/or documents - side by side, when you left click on the application/software

To add to the quick launch, you simply drag as you did before

What is the Fn key on my laptop?

Small portable computers (laptops, notebooks, netbooks) have fewer keys than larger desktop keyboards, but most come with a special function key, the Fn key, which when used in combination with other keys, like the Shift key, give those keys multiple purposes.

In some of the newer laptops/notebooks, the Fn key is used primarily to activate special laptop functions. These functions share other keys on the keyboard, typically the Function keys. They're marked by special icons, and these icons are color coded to match the Fn key.

THERE IS NO STANDARD LIST FOR THESE FN KEY COMBINATIONS - But many laptops do use Fn key combinations to do the following – so when you find the combination that works create your own “reference list”:

Fn +UP ARROW increases the brightness of the screen (decreasing battery life)

Fn +DOWN ARROW decreases the brightness of the screen (increasing battery life, but also increasing how much you need to squint to read the screen).

Fn +ESC suspends your computer, switching it to a mode where the hard drive and screen are disabled in order to save battery power. (Usually closing the screen accomplishes the same task, but sometimes you want to leave the screen open.)

Fn +F2 toggles your wireless on and off. (Practice it a few times so you can recognize how the icons in the system tray appear, so you’ll know to switch it back on if you ever disable it by accident.) If you’re on a plane or in a hospital, you should disable your wireless receiver. Or suppose you’re riding in a train or car and you know there’s no wireless signal, you’ll increase battery performance if you disable the wireless receiver.

Organize Files & Folders on your Computer

WINDOWS EXPLORER shows you where all your files are on your computer – an easy way to access this is to hold down the Windows Flag key + Tap “E” on your keyboard using the same “folder system” you would in a “filing cabinet”. Folders and sub-folders are "containers" to store files (documents, picutres, videos, movies, music etc). Every item named on a computer is a file and files are sorted into foldder, sub-folders and sub-sub-folders, which you create and name.

Some of the standard folders/drawers that Windows creates are: My Documents, My Music, My Pictures & My Videos. In Windows Vista & Windows 7, the word “My” has been dropped….They get their names from the fact that you use them as follows:

• My Documents: Use this folder to store other types of documents you save, such as typed text or spreadsheets
• My Music: Use this folder to store music you copy to your computers
• My Pictures: Use this folder to store pictures, such as those you get from a camera or scanner, or from the Internet
• My Videos: Use this folder to store videos, such as those you get from a video camera, emails or from the Internet

WINDOW EXPLORER BASICS:

• 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
• The Windows Explorer Screen Is Divided Into Two Sections/Panes: Left & Right And Divided With Separator Bar
• Windows Explorer for Windows 95 thru XP Uses Plus (+) And Minus (-) Signs To Display Or Close What Is In A Folder; Windows Vista & Windows 7 use the common Arrow signs
• Whatever Is Highlighted On The Left Pane Is What You Are Looking At On The Right Side Of The Screen

THE LEGEND OF SAINT VALENTINE

Happy Valentines Day Everyone

According to legend the Valentine takes its name from a young Christian priest who lived in ancient Rome. Like so many of the early Christians, Valentine had been imprisoned because of his faith.

Often and longingly he thought of his loved ones and wanted to assure them of his well-being and of his love for them. Beyond his cell window, just within reach, grew a cluster of violets. He picked some of the heart-shaped leaves and pricked them with the words: “Remember Your Valentine,” and send them off by a friendly dove. On the next day, and the next, he sent more messages that simply said, “I love you.”

Thus did the Valentine have its beginning. And so it has been through the ages- those who love, remember – and send Valentines to express their love.

Search the internet or visit these websites for more information on Valentines Day - enjoy:

www.history.com/content/valentine

www.theholidayspot.com/valentine

Internet Tips - Cookies, Online & Offline

WHAT IS A COOKIE? Cookies are preference files that shore data/information sent to your computer by a Web server that records your actions on a certain website… They make it easier for your to “move around” when you revisit websites in the future

IS THERE AN EASY WAY TO DELETE COOKIES? When you are on the internet – go to the menu bar, tools, internet options – you will see a category for Temporary Internet Files – which contains both cookies and temporary internet file addresses – this allows you to quickly erase them…

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WORK ONLINE? – OFFLINE?
ONLINE – is work done on your computer when it is connected to another computer or network, including the internet
OFFLINE – is work done when you are not connected to another computer, network or the internet..
To turn this feature on & off – When you are on Internet Explorer go to Menu Bar, File, and you will see a toggle command in the menu list that switches between Work Online & Work Offline

Word Processing Tips

MICROSOFT WORD – is the #1 word processing program used in the world today – remember once you learn the feature commands and corresponding icons for these commands, they are the same in any other software you might learn
Special Note: All Microsft Office 97-2003 Program (including Word) use toolbars; whereas Office 2007 Programs, incuding Word use the new Tab/Ribbon Format

SELECT TO EFFECT (highlight)
When you want to edit/change text (add Bold, Italic, Underline, Delete, change color, cut, copy, past, change font size or style and lots of other "formatting options") remember to "select the text first/highlight it" and then click the button of your choice.. TIP: To highlight everything in a document, whether 1 page or 100 pages: use SELECT ALL of CTRL + A

BASIC SCREEN: Insertion Point “I” vs. Work Bar, Title Bar, Menu Bar, Toolbars, Ruler, Scroll Bars (right & bottom), Status Bar & Task Bar

BOLD, ITALIC, UNDERLINE: B – I – U Highlight text, then use icon on formatting toolbar OR Menu Bar, Format, Font

DON'T PANIC WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE - Use your "Undo" & "Redo" buttons

FONT STYLE: The design of your characters – letters – numbers

FONT SIZE: the size of your characters – letters – numbers

STANDARD BUSINESS FONT & SIZES
Times New Roman - 12 pitch
Arial-14 pitch
Note: 72 pitch always = 1" high

WANT THE RULER ON OR OFF YOUR SCREEN?
Click "View" - Activate or deactivate the ruler.. choice is yours

Quick Launch

The handy “QUICK LAUNCH” toolbar is available in Windows XP, Vista & 7 (Operating System Software) allowing you “one click” to start a program (application software) without having to “minimize” the program you are currently using and going back to the desktop to activate it, and this is typically located to the right of the START BUTTON on the TASK BAR.

To be sure you can work with the QUICK LAUNCH or see it, you must UNLOCK the taskbar in order to work with it. Simply right click on blank space in the TASK BAR, you will see an action menu, be sure “Lock the TASK BAR is not checked off” – if it, highlight & left click on it, which removes the lock.

TO DISPLAY THE QUICK LAUNCH BAR
Right click on the taskbar – You must click on an empty spot on the taskbar or you get a different menu-so don’t click on an icon already on the taskbar
• Left Click TOOLBARS
• Left Click QUICK LAUNCH from the pop-up menu

TO ADD NEW ICONS TO THE QUICK LAUNCH BAR
Simply CLICK and DRAG them from your desktop to the Quick Launch Bar, assuming your TASKBAR is not locked (if you want you can remove the icons from your desktop-it doesn’t affect the software in any way)

TO SEE THE QUICK LAUNCH BAR DISPLAY LARGE ICONS
• Right click the Quick Launch Bar
• Left Click VIEW
• Left Click LARGE from the pop up menu

Many use the QUICK LAUNCH area only, so that they have NO ICONS on the desktop.. In addition to application icons, you can also add Internet Logos to the QUICK LAUNCH, when you have a website on the monitor, simply Click & Drag the website logo to the Quick Launch.

When you drag icons to the QUICK LAUNCH area – watch for the black insert line before dropping the icon, remember you cannot put one icon on top of another.

February Computer Classes

February – they say it’s the month of love, so learn to love your computer and all that you can do with it… These are some of the computer classes being held in the next few weeks - to reserve your seat, Stop by or 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....If you have any questions about a specific class or topic – email me: cherie_houston@hotmail.com

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-122 Monday & Friday 8:30am-12:20pm Feb 8 & 12 - 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

EMAIL HOW TO’S LSC071-223: Monday & Tuesday, 1-4:50pm, Feb 8 & 9
Two 4 hour classes to enhance your basic email skills – work extensively with attachments of all types – documents, photos, videos, power point – learn to open & save, find & attach. Also learn to work with hyperlinks; learn to copy & paste to & from emails, internet and word

COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC 062-122 Tuesday & Thursday, 8:30-12:20pm, Feb 9 & 11 - 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..

LAPTOP BASICS LSC100-121: Wednesday, 8:30am-12:20pm, Feb 10
A 4 hour workshop to help you become more comfortable with the differences between desktop & laptops; helpful hints on using a laptop, accessories needed, maneuvering around, internet & WiFi Basics, shortcuts, security & more

MOVIE MAKER LSC100A-223 Mondays, 8:30-12:20pm Feb 22 & Mar 1
Two 4 hour classes during which you will create movies with your photos, including music and other special effects: transitions, titles/credits, audio tracks with your favorite music, timeline narration, and much more. This software is free with Windows XP, Media, Vista and/or the new Windows 7 operating systems… Great fun & easy to learn - Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

INTERNET AND IT’S MANY USES LSC071-121 Mondays, 1-4:50pm, Feb 22 & Mar 1
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

HOW TO BUY & SELL ONLINE LSC101-121 Tues & Wed, 8:30-12:20pm, Feb 23& 24
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

WINDOWS EXPLORER-FIND/ORGANIZE WHAT’S ON YOUR PC LSC 062-222 Tues & Thurs, 1-4:50pm Feb 23 & 25 - 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..

WORD-CREATE GREAT LOOKING DOCUMENTS LSC068-SEC 121 Thurs & Fri 8:30-12:20pm Feb 25 & 26 - 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

SPECIAL NOTE-We are excited to announce our newest class: CREATE & PUBLISH YOUR OWN BOOK LSC100A-Sec 126, Monday & Friday, 8:30am-12:20pm, March 8 & 12 - Two 4 hour classes to teach how you can create and publish your own book, using free book publishing software known as personal book making & publishing. Use your WP skills & digital photos, you can order in quantities as small as "1"-You decide soft cover, hard cover - various sizes-al text, all photos or combine both... Great fun... remember to bring your memory sticks or camera photos to work with..

JOIN US: 25th ANNUAL WINTERFEST FESTIVAL

LAKE HAVASU CITY 2010 WINTERFEST is a wonderful way to get outside and enjoy our wonderful weather... It takes place on McCulloch Blvd between Smoketree Ave and Acoma Blvd this coming weekend, Saturday February 6 9:30am-5pm & Sunday, February 7 9am to 4pm (so everyone can be home in time for SuperBowl..)

Take a few minutes to stop by and say hello at the Mohave Community College Booth. If you have questions about a specific class, I will be helping out in the MCC Booth Sunday morning from 10am-1pm; and they will have schedules available for all programs offered, including our computer classes...

So come on down and enjoy the wide range of entertainment, events, food, and merchandise to appeal to people of varied ages and interests. This wonderful event, hosted by the Lake Havasu Chamber of Commerce, is entering its 25th year

What are Minimize, Maximize or Restore?

The following commands allow you the ability to "work and manipulate open items on your monitor"
They are 3 icons located in the upper right hand corner of what we call the TITLE BAR on every application or website we visit ... The middle icon changes and will either be the RESTORE icon or the MAXIMIZE icon)

• MINIMIZE (icon resembles _ ) -"get out of the way" to work on another program
• RESTORE (icon resembles 2 pages) - allows you to see every thing "open" - multiple windows at one time so you can see other open applications behind the current or
• MAXIMIZE (icon resembles 1 page) - fills the entire screen with the one program
• CLOSE (icon is an X) and this will close out the program entirely

TIP: If you have a lot of applications open and want to return quickly to the DESKTOP, use your keyboard shortcut: Windows Flag Key + M key (which minimizes all open applications at once)

What is Social Networking?

JOURNALING VS. BLOGGING VS. TWITTERING, FACEBOOK & MY SPACE - All of these are various aspects of "social networking" - since we were children, we've networked with other people in various groups - today, because of the internet, our social networks are unlimited by geography... These are some common terms and what they mean...

JOURNALING - For some of people “journaling” is a great option – when you journal, you are keeping a private journal (diary or logbook) and most people decide their own format – maybe to put in an entry or two each day of what they are doing and or thinking…And remember – journal’s are private…

VS. BLOGGING - According to Wikipedia, A BLOG (a contraction of the term weblog) is a website - resembling "newsletters" usually kept up by an individual with regular entries of comments, descriptions of events, or other info & graphics or videos and typically they are displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Many families today create their own BLOGS to share information throught the family - they can add photo slide shows, videos, calendars with important dates to family members and much more - TIP-most families set the privacy settings at private so that only those family members invited can see what is on their blog.. Whomever established/created the BLOG can also invite others to "author articles - known as "POSTS" so that information can come from different sources...

Our class blog is: www.lhcseniorpcgeeks.blogspot.com

VS. TWITTERING
Twittering is certainly the rage – and is another social networking tool users can send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters.

POPULAR BLOG SITES:

• www.blogger.com
• www.thoughts.com
• www.livejournal.com
• www.xanga.com
• www.typepad.com
• www.worldpress.com
• www.diaryland.com
• www.pitas.com

Such as FACEBOOK & MYSPACE… very popular with younger people - with all social networking sites - be sure to check your settings often - as the technology changes so do the privacy setting options, making it easier for you to protect yourself and your family...

COPY (OR MOVE) FILES AND FOLDERS TO A CD or DVD

1. Insert a blank, writable CD/DVD into the CD/DVD burner.
2. Click the files or folders you want to copy (or move) to the CD/DVD. To select more than one file, hold down the CTRL key while you click the files you want.
   Under File and Folder Tasks, click Copy (or Move) this file, Copy (or Move) this folder, or Copy (or Move) the selected items.
3. In the Copy (or Move) Items dialog box, click the CD/DVD burner drive, and then click Copy (or Move).
4. Open My Computer and double-click the CD/DVD recording drive. Windows will display a temporary area where the files are held before they are copied to the CD.
5. Verify that the files and folders that you intend to copy to the CD/DVD appear under Files Ready to be Written to the CD/DVD.
6. Under CD/DVD Writing Tasks, click Write these files to CD/DVD.
7. Windows displays the CD/DVD Writing Wizard.
8. Follow the steps clearly outlined in the wizard.

Notes:

• For Audio Files - Music - we recommend using CD-R's
• Do not try to copy more files to the CD/DVD than it will hold. Check the CD/DVD packaging to see the capacity of each CD/DVD.
• For photo or Video files too large to fit on a CD, you can copy files to a recordable DVD.
• Windows XP does not support copying to a DVD, so you have to use DVD authoring software (such as Windows Media Player, Picasa 3, Roxio or others).
• Windows 7 has DVD maker software built in
• Make sure you have enough disk space on your hard disk to store the temporary files that are created during the CD/DVDwriting process. For a standard CD, Windows reserves up to 700 megabytes (MB) of the available free space. For a high-capacity CD, Windows reserves up to 1 gigabyte (GB) of the available free space
• After you copy files or folders to the CD, you can view the CD to confirm that the files have been copied.

WHAT DO THE TERMS 32-BIT AND 64 BIT MEAN?

The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer's processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system. To see if your computer is running 32-bit or 64-bit Windows, do the following:

1. Open System by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking System
2. Under System, you can view the system type

To run a 64-bit version of Windows, your computer must have a 64-bit-capable processor. If you are unsure whether your processor is 64-bit-capable, do the following:

1. Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Performance Information and Tools
2. Click View and print details
3. In the System section, you can see what type of operating system you're currently running under System type, and, under 64-bit capable, whether you can run a 64-bit version of Windows. (If your computer is already running a 64-bit version of Windows, you won't see the 64-bit capable listing.)
4. Most programs designed for a computer running a 32-bit version of Windows will work on a computer running 64-bit versions of Windows. Notable exceptions are many antivirus programs, and some hardware drivers
5. Drivers designed for 32-bit versions of Windows do not 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. If you are unsure whether there is a 64-bit driver available for your device, go online to www.microsoft.com and search for the Windows Vista Compatibility Center

WHAT ARE PLUG INS….

PLUG-INS are small computer bits of software, typically free, that let you view a document, interact with an image, listen to music or watch a video. When you have the right PLUG-IN software application, you can view different information formats in your browser window on your computer, so that you can listen to your favorite song, see animations and videos and read documents that are secured in PDF format. Example: if you want to play a game that uses Shockwave and you don't have it on your computer you'll be prompted to install it. Once installed, you usually have to restart your browser or even your operating system to make a plug-in active. What popular PLUG-INS do:

Real Player - Popular sound and video player

Flash Player - Used for animations and games

Shockwave Player - Used for 3d animations and games

Cortona - Used for viewing and interacting with virtual environments

Acrobat - This is a reader, that is needed to look at PDF files

QuickTime - used for high quality video

Windows Media Player - Microsoft's media player - plays sound and video

iPIX - Used for viewing 3D Picture Bubbles

VLC Media Player - Some say this is the best media player for windows plays sound & video

What to do with the digital photos you are taking?

Here we go again – taking lots of photos and then stashing them in our computers – like we’ve done over the years with photos that weren’t properly identified with whose in the photo, when it was taken or where – we meant to do that, but life got in the way.. Now it's the digital age and we're doing the same thing when we put them in our computer instead of in a box, bureau drawer or closet… We hope these ideas will help you as you build your photo library on your computer…

When you copy photo's from your camera's memory card to your computer to the "My Picture or Picture" folder it is beneficial to immediately create a folder indicating what the event is - better yet, consider having master folders for each year, and then sub-folders for the 12 months during the year and within the months, sub-folders for specific events... When you want a particular photo (s) in one of these sub-folders, simply create a new folder with the project name on it, or to email, or to print, and copy the photos you want from the various folders, to the project folder; done with your project-empty/delete the folder - and you will know that the original photo is safe in the correct folder...

Editing photos using Google's "Picasa" a "free photo editing software program" that allows you to easily and quickly edit your photos, crop them - improve color, change to sepia or black & white, add soft focus lighting or enhance them in a variety of other ways; upload them to web albums to share with friends & families or to add to your blog, create collages, movies, print them and many other wonderful features... and it's all free...
to download this free software, go to http://www.picasa.com/ and follow the download wizard

Windows Movie Maker: another free software, that will allow you to create movies with your photos and enhance those movies with with animation and music that you've downloaded from your favorite CD's. Again, this software is free and easy to work with - finished movies can be saved to CD's or DVD's for gifts or personal use..
This free software is included on all computers with Windows XP & Vista and can be downloaded to those pc's with Windows 7 - for more info on this go to the following hyperlink:
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/02/11/windows-movie-maker-2-6-available-for-vista-windows-7/

Create and Publish your own book: another free software from either http://www.blurb.com/ or http://www.lulu.com/ that allows you to create and publish your own book - either all photo's, all text, or a combination of both... Sizes, styles, paper choices all vary depending on what you want and your budget... when you go to these websites - you can download their free book creation software - blub.com uses "booksmart" and you can then create your book in your own time; personally I know of people who've taken over a year - so no rush.. once the software is on your computer you can work at your own pace...

Hopefully we've given you some food for thought - we will share more ideas with you in the weeks ahead, including digital scrapbooking and more. If you have a suggestion, send it to us so that we can share it with your fellow students... In the meantime - enjoy...

How to find a tele number, address or someone

When you are looking for a telephone number or address for someone or a company, these websites can help and they are free – my favorite is “anywho.com”

• www.anywho.com
• www.switchboard.com
• www.whitepages.com
• www.yellowpages.com

Have a telephone number and not sure who it belongs to, many of the services above offer "reverse lookup" so type in the telephone number and it will tell you who it belongs to (or if it is cell phone number it doesn' list the person... or go to google or bing an type in the telephone number...

• www.google.com
• www.bing.com

When you need more infomation about someone (background check, personal, financial, criminal, marital status etc) to check a new employee, tenant whatever, there are investigative services that you can pay for the information..

• • www.Intelius.com
• • www.ussearch.com
• • www.PeopleFinders.com
• • www.HireRight.com
• • www.sentrylink.com

BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET RIPPED OFF. Some sites, such as consumer-warning.org and others look official and non-biased but are actually advertising sites for companies such as “net.detective.com” – if they only list one recommendation, you know it’s an advertisement.. Do your homework - check out your local Better Business Bureau before paying anyone.....

Want to learn more about “how to investigate” someone – maybe a new employee or tenant or finding a lost relative or friend, then check out..

• www.howtoinvestigate.com
  

Classes Cancelled This Week

Quick Note - All of my classes for this week are cancelled due to a minor glitch!!
I've been in the hospital since the weekend for a minor cardiac problem, but I am now home and after a few days rest will be just fine..

All classes scheduled next week will be held... We will notify everyone via email and/or phone of the following make-up dates for classes that we had to cancel this week..

• Digital Camera Part 2 on Friday, Jan 29th 8:30am-12:20pm
• Internet and It's Many Uses on Monday & Friday Feb 1st & 5th 8:30am-12:20pm
• Excel List Management on Fridays, Feb. 5th & 12th, 1pm-4:50pm

Thanks for understanding. Cherie Houston

How to convert slides to digital

Many of us have old photos in slide formats needing a slide projector. That technology is pretty much obsolete. To preserve slides and display them on other formats, you must convert them. A slide converter converts slides to digital file you can store on your computer on a CD or DVD. Slide converter prices vary with how much they speed up the process of converting. You could scan each slide individually without a converter; but this is a long process if you have a large number of slides. Prices vary - at Amazon.com prices ranged from $49.99 to $249.00.

Most converters work the same way. They are separate machines from the computer, where you put your slides in a holder that generally holds about 5-9 slides, slide the holder through the machine and take a picture of each slide. Companies such as Ritz Camera & others provide this and other conversion services (slide conversion charges usually range from 19-.39 per slide).
Hope this list of websites will help with your “tech shopping”:

• www.amazon.com
• www.bestbuy.com
• www.buy.com
• www.cnet.com
• www.ebay.com
• www.Hammacher.com
• www.newegg.com
• www.officemax.com
• www.overstock.com
• www.pricegrabber.com
• www.ritzcamera.com
• www.shopping.yahoo.com
• www.staples.com

Free Anti-Virus & Spyware software

Many of you are asking for recommendations on free anti-virus and or spyware programs and companies that provide online back-ups for your computers... we hope the following helps

A great website to help you evaluate "freeware" is:

www.techsupportalert.com

This site, known as "gizmo" lists & evlauates "freeware” that is on the market/online… FREEWARE is software that’s free.. (Bottom left hand column on their website there is a button that says show me everything if you want to look at a master list of all free software, vs. a particular category..)

ANTI-SPYWARE FREEWARE - The most popular seem to be:

www.superantispyware.com

www.malwarebytes.org (if you choose to upgrade, it is a one time fee of $24.95)

www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php Most of the free versions are “on-demand” meaning you will have to manually run them when you need them – but many of us have download them all and weekly have them all scan our computers…

ANTI-VIRUS FREEWARE - For those of use who use free Anti-Virus software, these seem to be the favorites.. Remember you can only have one anti-virus program on your computer at a time – so always remove one before you replace it with another program..

www.avg.com – The one I’ve used for years and have great faith in

www.moonsecure.com – This free antivirus program installs easily, updates frequently and continually monitors your system; it was noted also in the fall 2009 issue smart computing magazine…

There are others out there, such as: TrendMicro Systems, WinFixer and others but I’ve not heard great things about them – so ask around & do your homework before you use them

ON LINE BACK OF YOUR COMPUTER (Documents, pictures, music etc..) Two companies come to mind:

www.carbonite.com and www.mozy.com

Personally, I use Carbonite and find it the least expensive, because I have so much to back up (over 200GB); their annual flat rate now is $54.95 – which is insignificant if everything was ever lost or corrupted……it backs up continually (behind the scenes) so no matter how & when I add work, etc to my PC it’s backed up without thinking about it… never have to worry about my computer crashing. So check them out, do the math and decide which is best for you..

Upcoming Classes

These classes are being held in the next few weeks - 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....If you have any questions about a specific class or topic – email me: cherie_houston@hotmail.com

Note-The MCC Campus is closed Monday Jan 18th for the holiday-if you can't register before class begins next week - you are welcome to come to class and then go the registration office after class to register..

INTERNET AND IT’S MANY USES LSC071- SEC 121 TUESDAY & THURSDAY MORNING 8:30-12:20PM, JAN 19 & 21 - 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-SEC 121: TUESDAY & THURSDAY AFTERNOONS 1PM-4:50PM, JAN 19 & 21 - 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

FIND/ORGANIZE WHAT’S ON YOUR PC LSC 062-SEC 124 MONDAY & WEDNESDAY MORNINGS, 8:30-12:20PM JAN 25 & 27 - 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..

PICASA PHOTO EDITING LSC100A-SEC 222 MONDAY & WEDNESDAY AFTERNOONS, 1PM-4:50PM JAN 25 & 27 - Learn to edit & print DIGITAL photo’s using Picasa (a free Google software); learn to upload photo’s from your camera and/or scanner to the PC & learn to order prints online - Bring your digital camera to class

CREATE GREAT LOOKING DOCUMENTS LSC068-SEC 121 TUESDAY & THURSDAY MORNING 8:30-12:20PM JAN 26 & 28 - 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

MOVIE MAKER LSC100A-SEC 223 TUESDAY & THURSDAY AFTERNOONS, 1-4:50PM JAN 26 & 28 - Two 4 hour classes during which you will create movies with your photos, including music and other special effects: transitions, titles/credits, audio tracks with your favorite music, timeline narration, and much more. This software is free with Windows XP, Media, Vista and/or the new Windows 7 operating systems… Great fun & easy to learn - Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-SEC 122 MONDAY & FRIDAY MORNINGS 8:30-12:20PM FEB 8 & 12 - 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

COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC 062-Sec 122 TUESDAY & THURSDAY MORNING, 8:30-12:20PM, FEB 9 & 11 - 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..

How to use a Blog

How do I use a BLOG?? this recent question from a student is one we are sure many of you may be asking..

All BLOGS are intended to be "informational" just like any newsletter you might receive. But in addition to reading the "posts-otherwise called articles" that we publish on our BLOG, you can also copy any of the "post/articles" and save them to your word processing files so you can then print them for your books, and you can comment on what we've said in a specific "post/article" - The how to's are noted below..

• To copy a post/article to be able to change the size and/or print: highlight any portion of the post/article - activate the paste command, now open or go to your word processing program and on a clean piece of paper - activate the paste command. What you had highlighted will now be n the page and you can change the font size and style and note - that you might want to change the color of the entire post/article to BLACK because most blogs use a light gray print (even though it may look black)... Once it is the way you want it, you can go to File, Save As, Open or Create the specific folder you want it saved in - remember to give it a name that will make it easy for you to find in the future.. and you can now print it off to add to your computer book...
• To comment on a "post/article" that has been written - note that beneath each "post/article", you will see the word comment - and when you left on the phrase "comment" it will take you to a dialog box, that you can then type your comments about the "post" article that you have just read...
  

TV & Monitor Differences - Plasma vs LCD vs LED

So many of you have asked "which TV or Monitor screen is better?" We hope these descriptions, pros & cons will help with your decision. Personally, budget to me is a major consideration because technology is changing so rapidly - so much technology today is considered "throw-away" so it makes no sense to invest a lot of money...

PLASMA SCREENS use gas plasma cells charged by precise electrical voltages to create a picture.

Plasma Pros:
• Better black rendering, contrast ratio and ability for more color depth
• Better motion tracking (response time) and available in very large screen sizes.

Plasma Cons:
• susceptible to burn-in (being reduced with technology improvements the past few years)
• they generate more heat and consume more power
• screen glare in brightly lit rooms
• heavier weight, and more delicate to ship

LCD SCREENS (Liquid Crystal Display) are layers of liquid crystal pushed into the space between two glass plates. Images are created by varying the amount of electrical charge applied to the crystals

LCD Pros
• No burn-in susceptibility and they run cooler than plasma & consume less power
• less screen glare, look better in brightly lit rooms & more functional at high altitudes
• longer display life (although improvements are being made in Plasma screen life)

LCD Cons
• Lower contrast ratio
• not as good rendering deep blacks
• not as good at tracking motion (but this is improving- look for at least 120 Hz or 240 Hz)

LED SCREENS (Light Emitting Diodes) use backlighting vs. fluorescent lights used in traditional LCD televisions

• LED Pros & Cons are almost the same as LCD but LED come with better contrast ratio, better picture quality , super slim and 40% less power consumption but higher price

ELIMINATE PROGRAMS AT START UP

You can often help speed up your computer, by eliminating unnecessary programs from running when you start your windows operating system. The following steps may vary slightly depending on the OS (Operating System version - Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista or 7) that you are using on your computer

• Open Your Start Menu (from the Task Bar)
• Left Click Programs
• Left Click Accessories
• Left Click system information
• Left Click tools
• Then click system configuration
• Then click the tab “start up”
• You will now see everything that starts up with your computer with a check mark next to it. To the right of the item, it tells what program it is associated with.
• You can check and un-check any of these items and see if it makes the computer run faster or not. If it's something you want, then you just go back to the same place and check it again.
• Sometimes if a program has been reinstalled you will see the same program listed/checked twice.

Basically, the only two things that need to be running when you get your task manager (by holding down the CTRL, ALT, DEL keys together) and the Task Manager Dialog Box Appears is explorer and systray. You should find the rest of the "ghosts" listed under the start up tab in system configuration.

Print Screen Key - Why & How to Use This

You get an error message on your screen or something happens you don't understand - don't try to write all the information down - simply use your PRINT SCREEN KEY (usually located to the right side of your keyboard-to the right of Function Keys F1-F12)
What the PRINT SCREEN KEY does is capture an image (takes a photo of) your entire monitor screen, also known as a "screen shot" or "screen capture", and copies it to the Clipboard in your computer's memory.

Once you use the PRINT SCREEN KEY - you need to PASTE the image somewhere - Word Pad, Works, Word, an email, wherever... Activate Paste (CTRL+V; or use your action key and click paste; or use the paste icon on your toolbar/ribbon or right click and then left click on paste from the action menu) where you want it and when you do, the entire image that was on your monitor will now be where you pasted it. You can now Save this and/or print the image so that you can show it or discuss it with a technician or whomever...
Note - some OS (operating systems) require you to use:

• the CTRL + PRINT SCREEN KEY, AND/OR
• most laptops require you to use the Fn Key + Print Screen

Having a true photo of your monitor screen is beneficial for discussion and future reference (especially when something happens and you tell someone and they tell you that can't possibly happen) Now you can show it to them...

EMAIL TIPS - Forwarding & Using BCC

Be courteous to friends and family and don’t share their email addresses with the world - protect their privacy ~ Consider these two tips:

• When forwarding, ALWAYS DELETE ALL OTHER EMAIL ADDRESSES that appear in the message (at the top). Just highlight them and delete them or cut them out – You have to click the "Forward" button first and then you can edit the message anyway you want, including removing all prior email messages (If you don't click "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message) Remember when you use the forward button it makes a copy of the entire message-so it’s now your property.
• ALWAYS USE THE BCC when sending messages to numerous people (that’s right don’t put their names in the TO: field – if your email requires an address there, such as AOL does, then put your own). When you use the BCC everyone gets the email message but no one sees any address that the email was sent to protecting everyone’s privacy

COPY FILES FROM COMPUTER TO A FLASH DRIVE

Copy and Paste is the same whether you are copying an article in the paper or an email you've received or from one page in word to another page or another document... Steps are:

1. Highlight what you want to copy
2. Give the command to Copy
3. Go to where you want to put the item
4. Give the command to Paste...

So you do the same thing when you are copying a folder, group of folders or various files to and from your flash/removable drive...

1. Open My Computer to see which drives are shown.
2. Insert flash drive in the USB port, it will appear as “removable drive” or indicate the company name (Removable Disk (G)
3. Open MY DOCUMENTS & Select the files or folders you want to copy to flash drive by left-clicking on them. To copy multiple, hold the CTRL key while you click & select all of the files you wish to save.
4. RIGHT-CLICK on the folders you want to copy (or go to Menu Bar & Edit) and choose COPY.
5. Go to “My Computer”; choose the correct Drive you want to copy your work/files/folders to; highlight that drive (i.e. "Removable Disk (G:),
6. RIGHT-CLICK on the Drive (or go to Menu Bar & Edit); choose PASTE

When the copying is finished, DO NOT IMMEDIATELY REMOVE THE FLASH DRIVE FROM THE USB PORT - Left-click on the REMOVE HARDWARE icon located in the System Tray to the far right of your Task Bar on the bottom of your monitor screen, to be sure it says: SAFELY REMOVE STORAGE DEVICE.

January Computer Classes Begin Jan 12th

Happy New Year Everyone – Imagine – 2010!!!

My Computer classes at Mohave Community College will resume in another week – there are seats available in many of the classes, so call to reserve your spot and join us..
Call Registration 928-453-1139 ..

We have lots of wonderful classes scheduled January thru April, so sign up early to reserve your seat and bring a friend. Coming to class with someone else gives you the motivation to practice more people in class means more questions and we all learn from questions..

The following are our January classes - many of which will be repeated in February, March & April and there are classes in other topics during those months also.. Remember-February Classes fill up quickly due to Spring Frenzy so reserve your seats early..

COMPUTERS FOR THE FUN OF IT LSC 062-Sec 121 TUESDAY & THURSDAY MORNING, 8:30-12:20PM, JAN 12 & 14 - 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.. The following classes are all 8 hours - held in 2-Four Hr. Sessions.

BLOGGING BASICS – OUR NEW 8 HR. ENHANCED LSC080–SEC 121 TUESDAY & THURSDAY AFTERNOONS 1-4:50PM, JAN 12 & 14 - Review blogging basics, “social networking” “Facebook” “Twittering” etc.. Learn to create a blog for yourself or your group, we’ll show you how, why & when to post – comments; Use templates to change designs and layouts, Add Ons: Links, Photos, Slide Shows, Blog Tools & more – great fun

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-SEC 121 WEDNESDAY MORNINGS 8:30-12:20PM Jan 13 & 20 - 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

MAIL MERGE USING WORD & EXCEL LSC068- SEC 221 WEDNESDAY AFTERNOONS, 1PM-4:50PM, JAN 13 & 20 - create a data list using both excel and word software learn to enter & sort data various ways; to merge data for multiple “personalized” documents such as mailing labels, other labels, envelopes or form letters..Bring an address book or contact list to class

LIST AND DATA MANAGEMENT WITH EXCEL LSC 069-SEC 121 TUESDAY & THURSDAY AFTERNOONS 1PM-4:50PM, JAN 19 & 21 - 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

INTERNET AND IT’S MANY USES LSC071- SEC 121 TUESDAY & THURSDAY MORNING 8:30-12:20PM, JAN 19 & 20 - Learn to maneuver & surf the Internet, lots of Internet tips & lingo: 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 &lots of great websites...

FIND/ORGANIZE WHAT’S ON YOUR PC LSC 062-SEC 124 MONDAY & WEDNESDAY MORNINGS, 8:30-12:20PM JAN 25 & 27 - 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..

PICASA PHOTO EDITING LSC100A-SEC 222 MONDAY & WEDNESDAY AFTERNOONS, 1PM-4:50PM JAN 25 & 27 - Learn to edit & print DIGITAL photo’s using Picasa (a free Google software); learn to upload photo’s from your camera and/or scanner to the PC & learn to order prints online - Bring your digital camera to class

CREATE GREAT LOOKING DOCUMENTS LSC068-SEC 121 TUESDAY & THURSDAY MORNING 8:30-12:20PM JAN 26 & 28 - Learn 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 flyer's & invitations & lots of printing tips

MOVIE MAKER LSC100A-SEC 223 TUESDAY & THURSDAY AFTERNOONS, 1-4:50PM JAN 26 & 28 - Learn to create movies with your photos, including music and other special effects: transitions, titles/credits, audio tracks with your favorite music, timeline narration, and much more. This software is free with Windows XP, Media, Vista and/or the new Windows 7 operating systems… Great fun & easy to learn - Bring photos to class (on your camera or flash drive)

If you have questions about a class or topic, email me: cherie_houston@hotmail.com

Cut - Copy – Paste

Once you master the skill of copying and pasting, so many things we do on the computer: working with emails, the internet-such as shopping & banking, directions; of course working with word processing - writing letters, recipes, flyers, invitations; saving to flash drives, portable hard drives, moving photos from our digital cameras to folders; burning CD's & DVD's; and much more, becomes so easy. So practice these skills often - and remember there are 5 different ways that you can activate the commands to cut - copy - paste...

TO CUT/COPY & PASTE:

• Select /highlight what you want to Cut or Copy
• Then activate CUT or COPY (any of 5 ways)
• Go to Where you Want what You’ve Cut or Copy to now be placed
  
  (To find your travel or portable hard drive-Open my computer & find the right drive; or open your email or open the software-Word, Excel, Power Point etc.)
• Then activate PASTE (any of 5 ways)

5 WAYS TO CUT, COPY OR PASTE…

1. MENU BAR: Go To Edit, left click on cut, copy or paste
2. ICONS: Use the cut, copy or paste/clipboard icons on your toolbar/ribbon
3. MOUSE: Use RIGHT CLICK-Be sure your mouse is on what you’ve highlighted & RIGHT CLICK; action menu will appear and now you can left click on cut, copy or paste/clipboard
4. KEYBOARD ACTION KEY: Use the Action/function key (bottom row, right of the shift bar before the CTRL key) and choose cut, copy or paste/clipboard
5. KEYBOARD: Use keys on your Keyboard (Copy is CTRL + C; Paste is CTRL + V; Cut is CTRL + X; Print is CTRL +P )

Happy New Year 2010!!

On behalf of our entire staff and myself, we want to wish you and yours a healthy, happy New Year full of blessings and joy ~ May this year be the best year of your life!

By William Arthur Ward quotes (American dedicated scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher)

“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”

Tips about "burning" CD's - DVD's

HOW DO I KNOW MY COMPUTER CAN BURN CD'S?
Fortunately, these days virtually all computers bought new include a drive that is able to both read and write (or burn) both CD and DVD media. If you’re not sure if your computer or laptop has a CD burner then there are two ways to check.

• Look thru your computer owner's guide to learn if you have a CD burner or not OR
• Go online to your computer manufacturer website - put in your model - and it will give you the specifics of whar is on your computer/laptop - or you can email them with the model # and serial #; they will e-mail you back an answer.

HOW DO I BURN FILES ON A CD?
Burning files on a CD is like saving files on a flash drive or portable hard drive. There are two ways to save files on a CD. Follow these steps:

• Highlight what it is you want to "burn/copy" onto the CD-DVD
• Once highlighted choose "copy" (anyone of 5 ways-from edit menu, icon, action key, CTRL+C, right click-choose copy)
• Put CD-R or CD-RW in your CD burner tray
• Go to the folder that has the file you want to save on the CD on it
• Right click - menu appears, choose drive your CD is on
• Now say Paste again one of he 5 ways
• You will have an extra step - whatever you have copied is being held in a temporar folder to be sure you have everything you want "burned/copied" onto the CD - once eveything is there and ready
• Now choose "Write these files to CD" - you can do it now or later - but you must choose this option

OR

If/when you are burning to a CD or DVD using a program such as Windows Media Player, Picasa, Movie Maker, Roxio or others, on the top menu bar it will have an action"BURN" choose thar option and it will walk you thru the steps noted above

You're done!!!!

TO MAKE SURE FILES ARE SAVED ON THE CD

• Go to the drive on My Computer that has your CD/DVD on it.
• Now double click on the drive with your CD and/or DVD in it - it will open and show you what is on the CD/DVD

Tips to help you care for your CD's & DVD's

Hope these tips will help you take great care of your CD's & DVD's..

· Handle only at the hub/outer edge. Don't touch the shiny surface with your fingers.

· Store in a protective case when not in use.

· Don't bend the disc when taking it out of the case

· Try not to scratch the disc when placing it in the case or in the player tray.

· Make certain the disc is properly seated in the player tray before you close it.

· Keep discs away from all heat and direct sunlight.

· DVD specs recommend discs be stored at a temps between 50 °-90 °F with less than 27 °F variation per hour, at relative humidity of 5 to 90 percent.

· Artificial light and indirect sunlight have no effect on replicated DVDs, BUT

· Magnetic fields don't effect DVDs, so they are ok on/near your speakers.

· Exposure to bright sunlight can affect recordable DVDs, specifically write-once DVDs (DVD-R and DVD+R) that use light-sensitive dyes.

Difference between CD's & DVD's

CD vs DVD is the amount of storage. Typically:

• A CD will hold about 700MB
• A DVD will hold 4.5GB (1000MB = 1GB)
• An HD-DVD will hold about 30GB
• A Blu-Ray Disc will store up to 50GB

R – means read only and indicates onetime permanent use

RW – means you can burn – erase and “rewrite” but don’t!!!

CD’s & DVD’s should be considered for one time use only – if you want to write & rewrite data use a flash drive/memory stick or portable hard drive

For music CD’s (or anything to archive) a CD-R is your best choice.

Bells on Christmas Day

When I considered what to write in our post on this special day, I wanted the post to be reminicscent of the holidays, but also wanted to be careful not to offend anyone.. So researched this favoite poem/song of mine, and learned how it had come to be written.. On behalf of our entire staff we want to wish you and yours our warmest wishes this holiday season...enjoy

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was filled with sorrow at the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861. The Civil War broke out the same year, and it seemed this was an additional punishment. Two years later, Longfellow was again saddened to learn that his own son had been seriously wounded in the Army of the Potomac. Sitting down to his desk, one Christmas Day, he heard the church bells ringing. It was in this setting that Longfellow wrote these lines:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep.
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The wrong shall fail,
The right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men!"

Free Game Websites = Enjoy

With colder temps outside - many of us spend more time indoors - so if you enjoy playing games on your computer to pass away the time, check out these websites recommended by other fellow students..(not in any particular order)

www.bored.com - Bored.com is a great place to play Free Online Games. In addition to free games we also have fun and interesting websites that will cure your boredom

www.miniclip.com -MiniClip.com is the largest online games site where you can play a large range of free online games including sports games

www.shockwave.com - Shockwave.com is a very popular destination for free online games and lots of free downloadable ...

www.picartia.com - PicArtia helps you to create your photo mosaic online for free. It is popular for being fast, easy and free

www.chir.ag/stuff/sand/ - a falling sand game – just a website when you are looking to waste time..

www.freegamesonline.com - a popular site that offers action games, puzzles, mind games and much more

http://games.aarp.org - one of the most popular game websites among active adults - so enjoy

Why Windows Software Updates Are Important

It is very important to allow “updates” for your Windows Operating System, AntiVirus Software and other software and hardware being used on a regular basis.

Updates are needed to “fix” patch new security flaws and / or fix bugs, viruses etc. in your system. If you have a Windows computer connected to the Internet, you desperately need to keep your security as up to date as possible

For current updates to your Microsoft Operating System – check the following link which will look at your operating system to be sure you are current. If you are not, it will recommend (list) which updates you should download.

Note that many updates will require you to “reboot” (restart) your computer…and remember you can schedule these tasks using your System Maintenance Task Scheduler

Your Windows Operating System Updates can be downloaded from www.windowsupdate.com or by enabling Automatic Updates.

Windows Vista users can click the Start button, click All Programs, and then select Windows Update.

What's an MP3 vs iPod, iPod Shuffle etc?

It's obvious the holidays are fast approaching. I've received quite a few emails asking about iPods and MP3 Players so thought it was a topic to address immediately... I hope this helps explain the differences - and once again let your budget be your guide..

MP3 Player ~ Is a small electronic device that allows users to carry video, pictures or even thousands of songs in your pocket - can cost as little as $15 and supplied by numerous manufacturers

iPod ~ was introduced in 2001 by Apple was originally a simple pocket-sized device used to play music files butt continues to evolve and there are various types to meet various needs and budgets from $50 for the iPod Shuffle to $399 for the 64GB iPod Touch

iPod Shuffle ~ Apples least expensive and they claim worlds smallest music player. It comes in colors, it talks to your telling you the song title & artist and more Available in 2GB or 4GB ($55+)

iPod Nano ~ Apples Step-up from the iPod Shuffle, is a portable media player with a video camera and FM tuner Available in 8GB or 16GB ($150+)

iPod Classic ~ Apples top of the line iPod With 160GB of storage, iPod classic is the take-everything-everywhere iPod, with space for up to 40000 songs, 200 hours of video, or 25000 photos and 2.5 in viewing screen (about $250)

iPod Touch ~ Apples new touch screen model for music, watch movies, play games, and more in the palm of your hand. Available in 8GB, 32GB, and 64GB($199-399)

Defragging?? How & Why

Defragging (defragmentation) your computer will speed it up and improve the computers performance. What defragging does is it reorganizes and optimizes the way that all the data is stored on your computers hard disk.. For Windows Vista users, the operating system is configured by default to automatically initiate the defragmentation program once a week

How to Defrag a Computer
For those of you with Windows XP, here are the two ways you can “defrag” your computer..

Defrag #1
The most common way to defrag is to:

• Click on 'Start' at the bottom left of your computer screen
• Go to Programs, then go to 'Accessories', then choose 'System Tools' folder
• When you open this you will see 'Disk Defragmenter' on the list of programs in the 'System Tools' .
• You can select a specific drive, such as “C” for your hard drive –then click on “Analyze” and it will tell you if that drive needs to be defragged.. Click on “Defragment” and it will start – time can range from a few minutes to a few hours – let it work and it’s better not to be running other programs while it is doing this…so, it was…
  
  Start ~ Programs ~ Accessories ~ System Tools ~ Disk Defragmenter
  
  In this application windows, select a drive (for example C:\) and then click on 'Analyze' to find out whether that drive requires defragmentation or not. The graphical report that is displayed will give you an idea about the amount of existing fragmentation on that drive. Clicking on 'Defragment' will start the defragmentation process. This process can take a considerable amount of time (ranging from a few minutes to a couple of hours). For efficacy purposes, it is strongly recommended that you do not simultaneously execute any other applications or programs in the background, during the time that the drive is being defragmented.

Defrag #2
Another way I use quite often is much shorter…

• Click on Start, then click on Run.
• Type the words "cmd" and hit Enter. This opens a command prompt window.
• Now type the words 'defrag', followed by a space, and the name of the drive that you wish to defragment, followed by a colon. For example, if you want to defragment drive C:\, you will have to type defrag c: and hit Enter and it will automatically begin the defragmentation process

Santa Jigsaw Puzzle

Just a little someting to pass the time and when you finish putting the puzzle together, watch what happens.

Click below:

www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=ER13610552

this is from my favorite greeting card website:
www.jacquielawson.com

Facebook - Privacy Settimgs

For those of you using facebook - be sure to make this change to your settings today to protect your privacy.. Are you aware that as of today – December 15, 2009 - Facebook will automatically index all your info on Google, which allows everyone to view it.

To change this option, go to:

• Settings -->
• Privacy Settings -->
• Search -->
• then UN-CLICK the box that says 'Allow indexing'

Be sure to Copy and paste onto your status for all your friends ASAP so that we all protect our privacy..

CHANGE YOUR SCREEN DISPLAY SETTINGS

You can access your Display Settings by right-clicking anywhere on the Desktop and then choosing Properties (Windows Vista – choose Personalize) or you can change these settings by going to your control panel (on your start menu) and then going to Appearance – Themes and the Display icons.

When you access the Display Properties Dialog Box – there are five tab choices: Themes, Desktop, Screen Saver, Appearance and Settings.

Themes
This allows you to choose a theme which will apply to all your Windows screen,the icons, sounds and colors – such as jungle, underwater & many more.

Desktop
This will allow you to choose different desktop background images, from samples which are inlcuded or you can use the BROWSE button to find a photo you have saved in you’re My Picture Folder… Remember – if you find a photo in an email or on the internet that you want for your background, when your cursor is on the image, right click on the image and choose Set as Desktop Background.

Screen Saver
Screen Savers are the “motion” choices we use when our computer is idle – many different ones are built in, or you can use the photos in you’re my Picture Folder or when you are on vacation you can purchase “screen savers” to remind you of your trip… This is also where we can change our Power settings for the monitor, noting how long it should stay on when we leave our computer alone..

Appearance
This choice allows us to change the style and colors and size of fonts for our Windows and buttons. Just click on the drop-down arrow buttons to choose different settings; the font size option is great if text is too small – just change it to large fonts or extra large fonts.. The advanced tab allows us to change size & colors for all our screen items including borders, icons and the menus.

Settings
This choice allows us to change screen resolution and color quality – remember the resolution determines the number of pixels used to make up the display. The higher the setting, the more detailed your display and the higher resolution gives you a larger screen area to work with, but if you find text and icons are now too small you may need to increase font size and use larger icons to compensate.
You can only go up to the highest resolution that your monitor can support. Experiment to find a resolution you are comfortable with – many opt for the highest setting.

When you set a high resolution, increasing the DPI (dots per inch) setting – it makes all screen items including text appear larger.

Happy Holidays - Websites to Enjoy

With the holidays fast approaching we thought you might enjoy links to some of my favorite holiday websites - You can visit Santa at the North Pole, track him on his infamous flight on Christmas Eve, find a recipe that fits just right with your celebration, find the words to your favorite hymn or carol and much more...

So as the magic of the holidays begins and we continue to count our blessings and be thankful for all that we have - we hope that you will enjoy these website links - which are in alphabetical order - save them in your favorites for next year... Enjoy

www.allrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-events/christmas/main.aspx

www.allthingschristmas.com

www.christmas-carols.net

www.claus.com

www.holidays.kaboose.com/christmas/index.html

www.holidays.net/christmas

www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com

www.merry-christmas.com

www.noradsanta.org

www.northpole.com

www.northpole.org

www.oldjoeblack.0nyx.com/winter.htm

www.santaclaus.com

www.santaclaus.net

www.xmasfun.com

Finding & Using Zip Codes

What do the 9 digits of the zip codes mean...

In 1963 Zip Codes were introduced in the U.S. to improve mail delivery. Initially the zip code consisted of 5 numbers:

• the first three identify the state and portion of the state
• the last two a specific post office or zone

In 1983 (yes almost 27 years ago), a nine-digit code was introduced adding a hyphen to the original 5 numbers and 4 more numbers, to further speed delivery with the more sophisticated sorting equipment. The new 4 numbers indicate:

• the first two added digits specify a particular "sector,"
• the last two an even smaller "segment" (e.g., one side of a city block, or a single floor or portion of a floor in a large building).

Using the proper 9 digits will speed your mail delivery. To find the correct zip code, go to the post office website usps.com or simply click in the link below and save it to your favorites…

www.zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

Microsoft Help And How To Links

Not sure how to use your windows operating system to it’s full potential, how to do system maintenance & when, to better your computers performance, and other great tips, then take some time and visit Microsoft’s Help and How To for your specific Operating System – just click on the link for your operating system & begin learning…

Windows XP www.windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/help/windows-xp

Windows Vista www.windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/help

Windows 7 www.windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/help

Using Keyboard Shortcuts ~ List 3 of 3

Keyboard shortcuts are the use of keys or a combination of keys, that then perform special functions. By pressing or holding certain keyboard buttons together you can open new windows, create shortcuts, and quickly copy and paste files and more. These 3 posts will provide you with some of the commonly used keyboard shortcuts..
• TAB - move forwards through control items or links in current window
• ENTER - click selected control item or link
• BACKSPACE - move up one folder level
• HOME - go to start of current line or web page
• END - go to end of current line or web page
• CTRL + END - go to end of current document
• PAGE UP - move up through current document or web page
• PAGE DOWN - move down through current document or web page
• PRINT SCREEN - take snapshot image of current screen (must then paste it into a word document or email to print it)
• ALT + PRINT SCREEN - take snapshot image of current screen (must then paste it into a word document or email to print it)
• F2 - rename selected item
• F5 - refresh current window or web page
• F6 - move through window panes
• F11 – Full Screen view

Using Keyboard Shortcuts ~ List 2 of 3

Keyboard shortcuts are the use of keys or a combination of keys, that then perform special functions. By pressing or holding certain keyboard buttons together you can open new windows, create shortcuts, and quickly copy and paste files and more. These 3 posts will provide you with some of the commonly used keyboard shortcuts..
• CTRL + ESC - open Start menu
• CTRL + C - Copy
• CTRL + X - Cut
• CTRL + V - Paste
• CTRL + A - Select All
• CTRL + Z – Undo last action
• CTRL + B - Bold highlighted text
• CTRL + U - Underline highlighted text
• CTRL + I - Italicise highlighted text
• CTRL + Plus key - increase browser text size
• CTRL + Minus key - decrease browser text size
• CTRL + ALT + DELETE - open Task Manager
• ALT + underlined letters in menus - open menu item
• ALT + ENTER - show Properties of selected object
• ALT + F4 - close current window or program
• ALT + TAB - switch between open windows or programs
• SHIFT + TAB - move backwards through control items or links

Using Keyboard Shortcuts ~ List 1 of 3

Keyboard shortcuts are the use of keys or a combination of keys, that then perform special functions. By pressing or holding certain keyboard buttons together you can open new windows, create shortcuts, and quickly copy and paste files and more. These 3 posts will provide you with some of the commonly used keyboard shortcuts..
• Windows key - access Start menu
• Windows key + Pause - open System Properties
• Windows key + D - minimize/restore windows
• Windows key + F - open Search window
• Windows key + F1 - open Help and Support Center
• Windows key + E - open Windows Explorer window
• Windows key + M - minimize all windows
• Windows key + TAB - move through open windows on Taskbar
• Windows key + SHIFT + M - restore all windows