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Thursday, June 15 |
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More Google Tips
Are you ready for some more Google tips. If you would like to get more out of Google, here are five more tricks for you to try out. As established in our last Google tips article, most people don’t use Google to its maximum power. I hope that article made your brain cells go Yahoo! on Google (no pun intended). If it did, then this one will make you laugh right in the face of the remaining search engines. Keep reading to find out what I've got for you today!
1.) Search the Saved Cache Page With Cache:
Goggle stores a cached copy of each page it has indexed. So, even if a Web site is down or the page has ceased to exist, you can still view the cached version of the page. This is done by using the "cache:" operator. To use this, in the Google search space, type in “cache: websitename.” For example, the following code will bring up a cached version of the worldstart.com homepage.
cache:www.worldstart.com
Similarly, if you want to highlight any words in the cached page that you are searching for, just simply include the word that you want to be highlighted after the Web site name. For example, the following search would highlight the word tips on the cached page of www.worldstart.com.
cache:www.worldstart.com tips
You can also access this function by doing a normal search in Google and clicking on the “cached” link Google inserts after every search entry.
2.) Search for Pages with Links to a Web Page
This is useful especially if you operate a Web site of your own. The “link:” operator lists links to Web pages that you specify in the search. For instance, the following will list Web pages that have links pointing to the worldstart.com homepage.
link:www.worldstart.com
3.) Search for Similar Pages
Let’s say you have a keen interest in Formula 1 racing and you have a favorite site that you always access to stock up on news and updates. Although you like the site, you do wish the site design was a little better and that the information was a bit more detailed. Wouldn’t it be better if you could find a Web site similar to the one you like without all the junk you usually get when you search for Formula 1 in Google?
For this, the “related:” operator comes to your rescue. “Related:” will list Web pages that are similar to the Web page you specified in your search. For instance, the following will list Web pages that are similar to the www.formula1.com homepage.
related:www.formula1.com
You can also access this function by clicking on the “similar pages” link on a Google search results page.
4.) Numbers Game
Google does really clever things with numbers. In fact, Google is so smart that you can tell Google that you want it to search for a range of numbers within the text. Since Google understands numbers, it finds pages that have commas and decimal points in them. It will also find numbers equal to or within the range of a given set of numbers. To do a number range search, you just need to place two periods between two numbers without any spaces. For example, 10..20 (essentially it is low number..higher number).
For instance, if you wanted to know who was president between 1920 and 1930, you would use: 1920..1930 president.
5.) Stocks
You can also get stock market updates with the help of Google. Google will treat a search query as a stock ticker symbol if you start the search string with the “stock:” operator. It will then link to a page showing stock information for the symbols you queried for. For example, to view information for Microsoft (symbol: MSFT), you will use: stock: msft
You have to type the ticker symbol name and not the name of the company. You can do a search for multiple symbols by including all those symbols after the “stock:” operator. For example,
stock: msft amd
Another way to do this is to just search for the stock symbols in Google and then click on the “Show Quotes For” link on top of the page.
Now, are you ready to give your new found Google search engine tricks a try?! Go for it!
~ Yogesh Bakshi
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posted by ^%&^
@ 10:53 PM
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More on MySpace
In reference to recent articles on MySpace, I've had some people ask me how they can jazz up their MySpace profile, so I thought I would give you some hints on this. MySpace works a lot with HTML code, so there are some hard and easy ways to design your profile. If you know HTML well, you can create your own designs. All you have to do is add the code under the "About Me" or "Who I'd Like to Meet" sections in your profile and the new designs will show up. You add the codes while you're modifying your profile.
If you're not very familiar with HTML, there are several pre-made profile designs that you can choose from. With all of them available, it's easy to create a custom made MySpace layout. You can do a search for "MySpace Layouts" in your favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo!). There are tons out there and they all bring different designs to the table. Once you find one you like, you just need to copy and paste the code they provide into the "About Me" or "Who I'd Like to Meet" sections while you're modifying your profile. When you have the code in, just click on "Preview Profile" and you will see your new design come to life! Then all of your friends will be able to see your new profile layout as well.
You can also do a search for "free background images" in your favorite search engine and you can use those for your background. You will need to be familiar with HTML code to that though as well.
Now, I have been getting some e-mails from people who are concerned with MySpace safety, so I thought I would also include a little information on that topic. Everyone who is concerned is absolutely right, there are some things everyone should be aware of when creating a profile on MySpace. But, with everything else aside, MySpace really is supposed to be for fun.
Most of the safety issues come into play with young children. It seems as if MySpace has been in the news a lot lately in regards to some minor vs. adult situations. I really don't need to go into detail with all of that, but it is a good idea to know what you or your kids could be getting into when creating a profile on MySpace.
Unfortunately, some people make it harder for others to enjoy a simple "friend" site like MySpace. The Web site officials have taken some initiative on these issues though, such as requiring anyone who creates a profile to be at least 14 years old and they monitor the profiles regularly to make sure everything is going safely.
Here are some tips for you as you venture in the MySpace world. These are more for parents with younger children, but they are good for everyone to keep in mind.
1.) Monitor your child's online activity by doing several random "shoulder surfs." Just walk up behind them and see what they're doing. They may be upset that you're "invading their privacy," but you're the parent, so it doesn't matter!
2.) When you create a profile, don't include too much personal information. Don't write anything that would make it easier for a stranger to find you in real life. All of the profiles on MySpace are using public space, so just about anyone can view them.
3.) People are obviously not always who they say they are. MySpace is meant to be used to meet new friends and connect with new people, but don't ever meet someone in person without someone else along with you.
4.) Don't post any pictures or journal entries that would hinder your reputation later on. If you don't want certain people to see certain things, don't include them anywhere on MySpace. It's just safer that way.
Whatever you do, just have fun with the site, but always keep an eye out and be safe!
~ Erin
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:52 PM
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Typing a URL
Q:
When typing an Internet address, does capitalization and spacing make a difference?
A:
That is a very good question and this may just be the reason why some of you have had problems accessing a Web site in the past. Of course, if you ever spell a word wrong when typing in a URL, you're going to get a "Page cannot be found" error message. Well, if you mess up capitalization and spacing, the same thing might happen.
First of all, you cannot use any spaces in any Internet address. It's just not the way URLs function. If you somehow hit the space bar while typing, you're not going to be able to get to the Web site you're looking for. So, make sure you never use any spacing in a Web site's address.
Capitalization is a little different. Some Web sites may require capitalization. On the other hand, even though a URL has capital letters in it, you may still be directed to the site even if you use all lowercase letters. It all just depends on how the address is set up.
An Internet address only relies on case sensitive letters after the domain name. In other words, if you are ever trying to reach a page with some sort of a directory, you have to use all lowercase letters. For example, if you were trying to access WorldStart's Computer Tips page (a directory), you wouldn't be able to use uppercase letters. The URL is http://www.worldstart.com/tips/index.php. Now, if you tried to type that in all capital letters like HTTP://WWW.WORLDSTART.COM/TIPS/INDEX.PHP, you would get a page saying it is not available.
If you were just going to WorldStart's homepage, you could type it either way, because it's not dealing with a directory and does not interfere with the domain name.
This rule also works the other way around. If a Web site's URL is all uppercase letters, typing it in lowercase would not work. If you're unsure about a site's address, try typing it in lowercase first, because the majority of URLs are set in lowercase letters. Very few sites actually make their address in all capitals.
~ Erin
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:51 PM
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iTunes
Q:
Can you give me a little information on iTunes? I'm confused as to what it really is.
A:
Sure, that's no problem. iTunes is becoming more and more popular every day, so it doesn't hurt to understand the whole concept of it just a tad bit. Basically, iTunes is an online digital media player application that is used for playing and organizing music and video files. iTunes was launched by the Apple Computer company in 2001 and it's been going strong ever since. You may be familiar with iPods (since they are one of the coolest things since sliced bread) and it just so happens that iTunes is the interface that manages the iPod audio player.
To get music from iTunes, you can connect the iTunes Music Store where you can purchase music and movie files. You can then play these files with either iTunes or with an iPod. As you probably noticed, I did say you can "purchase" these files. As with everything else these days, it comes with a cost. In the U.S., the set price for a song is $.99 and if you wanted to create a whole CD of songs, it costs approximately $9.99. You can get a 30 second stream of a song before you decide to purchase it, which gives you a little listening time to be sure you want to buy that song.
+
Once you buy a song, you can use the simple media applications from the iTunes music store to transfer them to your iPod. iTunes works with a few other digital music players (besides the iPod). If you were interested in seeing if yours would work, you would have to look into the information you received with your player or contact the company to see if it's compatible with iTunes.
Once you get the songs, you can organize them into playlists, you can edit the file information and you can even back them up on a CD or DVD. The newest version of iTunes is iTunes 6 and there is a free download and some additional information on this Web site.
iTunes works with Windows 2000, XP, Windows Server 2003, Mac OS X and it also works on a few cellular phones.
So, if you're a big music guru, this may be the perfect way to get your ultimate music library!
~ Erin
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:51 PM
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Google Calculator
Do you enjoy math? Are you very good at it? Okay, in other words, do you stink at math? Are you in a profession that requires you to be a genius at mathematics (however, you’re not even close to being one?) Or, do you just want to learn some different things about math?
If so, worry no more, because Google has come to your rescue yet again. No, Google hasn’t released another new software program, but they do offer a built-in calculator function right on Google's Web site. Who knew?!
To use this, go to Google's Web site and simply enter the expression you’d like to evaluate in the search box and hit Enter (or click the Google Search button). Google will do everything from basic functions of mathematics to calculating inverse trigonometric functions and it will do it all for you!
For example:
We can, of course, combine the different mathematics functions together. For example, (25+49) -10. Here, the function in the brackets is calculated first (the addition happens before the subtraction).
Similarly, if you want to do advance mathematics calculations or want to help your child study for that upcoming trigonometry test, you can do that with the Google calculator. Below is a list of common functions you can use with this feature.
If you believe in pushing the calculator’s limits by making it do illogical calculations, you can force it to evaluate an expression by using the equal sign ( = ). However, this will only work if the expression is mathematically resolvable (nope, 1/0 still won’t give a result).
For example: 25-256898-751-36587 =
Now, Google hasn’t limited itself to just basic or advanced mathematics functions. What’s maybe more useful to most users is the ability to convert between different units. For example, kilograms to pounds, meters to miles or from one numbering system to another, etc. The point to note is that the “in” operator is used to specify what unit you want the answer in. For example, 20 kilos in pounds or 256 miles in kilometers. “In” is your easy way out.
Another point that you should consider is that when it comes to conversion, many units have both long and short names, but no matter what you use, the answer will be the same.
Units
Examples
Currency Australian Dollars (AUD), British pounds (GBP), Euros, US Dollars (USD)
Mass kilogram or kg, grams or g, grains, pounds or lbs, carats, stones, tons, tonnes
Length meters or m, miles, feet, Angstroms, cubits, furlongs
Volume gallons, liters or l, bushels, teaspoons, pints
Area square kilometers, acres, hectares
Time days, seconds or s, centuries, sidereal years, fortnights
Electricity volts, amps, ohms, henrys Energy Calories, British thermal units (BTU), joules, ergs, foot-pounds
Power watt, kilowatts, horsepower or hp
Information bits, bytes, Kbytes, etc.
Quantity dozen, baker's dozen, percent, gross, great gross, score, googol
Numbering
Systems decimal, hexadecimal or hex, octal, binary, roman numerals, etc. Prefix hexadecimal numbers with 0x, octal numbers with 0o and binary numbers with 0b.
Here are some examples written out to help you better understand some of the things this calculator can calculate for you.
20 kilometers + 3 meters
1.36 Gigabytes in Megabytes
50 in Binary
170 centimeters in inches
660 in dozen
29 years in seconds
1,000 GBP in euros
Quarter of a cup in teaspoons
It even calculates cool things like how much space 10 hours of 128 Kbps sized MP3s take up.
The best way to maximize the benefit from this calculator is to experiment with it. The more familiar you are with the terms, the faster and more accurate your calculations will be. There is also a link that says "More about calculator" that you can click on to learn even more about the different things this calc can do.
So, now that you have gotten a little bit better with mathematics and Google (I hope anyway), can I challenge you to calculate how long is a kilometer in bytes? : )
~ Yogesh Bakshi
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:51 PM
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The iPod
Q:
Okay, my kids got me an iPod for my birthday, but I do not know how to use it. Can you please give me some basics?
A:
Your kids must really be awesome, because an iPod is a very cool gift to get. I would say iPods are one of the most popular music related devices out on the market today. It seems like everyone I know is getting an iPod (except for me, of course : ). But, if you have time to listen to tons of music, an iPod is perfect for you. Or if you do a lot of traveling, an iPod can be your best friend.
To start this off, an iPod is a portable media player that was designed by the Apple Computer company. There are different sizes of iPods, with the standard being the regular model (also called the 5th generation iPod) followed by the iPod shuffle and the iPod nano.
The standard iPod comes with a built in hard drive where you can store all of your music. The iPod shuffle and the nano use flash memory as the storage device. The 5th generation model has video playback features and the nano offers a color screen. All three of these versions were released in 2005, so they are all still fairly new to the music world.
Now, the iPod comes with a bundle of software that you can use to upload your music, view photos and see videos. This software is called iTunes, which I discussed last week. iTunes works as a library of music. You can either download music from the iTunes Web site or if you have some CDs you'd like to store on your iPod, you can rip a CD onto your computer to later be put on your iPod. Once you have all of the songs you want (and iPods can hold A LOT of songs, let me tell you), you now have an iTunes library. You can then transfer the songs from your computer to your iPod, which is all done by having one end of your iPod cord plugged into your computer and the other in the iPod.
Also, once you have your songs on your computer, you can group them into different categories. If you have several different genres of music, you can separate those into groups. You can divide songs by artist, by CD title or you can make up your own fun lists. For example, my sister and I went to a concert in March and she made a playlist of songs just by the people we were seeing and she named it "Concert 2006." The iPod also automatically puts your songs into alphabetical order while they are all grouped together, so it's easier for you to find a song or an artist when you're searching through your choices.
All of the iPods (except the nano) have five buttons to work with. The basic interface is a scroll wheel right in the middle of the device. Those buttons are: the menu (allows you to scan back through different menus), the center (this selects a menu item), the play/pause button (this also doubles as an Off switch), the fast forward/skip forward button and the fast reverse/skip backwards button. There is also a hold button that you can use to prevent any unexpected button pushing.
You can use your iPod at home, in the car, while you're working out (or anywhere) and of course, you can use it with or without earphones. In the car, it is run by a radio station. Your iPod comes with a radio remote to use to find a radio station that will play your songs. You can charge your iPod batteries by leaving it plugged in your computer and there are also many different cases that you can purchase to keep your iPod safe from any scratches or mishaps. iPods also come in various colors, which is always fun!
As you can see, the iPod is a major music device and it's pretty cool to own one. It puts all the music that you own into one spot, which makes listening to your music a whole lot easier. You can take your iPod everywhere you go and enjoy your music 24/7!
If there are any other questions about the software, installation, etc., refer to your iPod manual, as certain things will depend on the type of iPod you have.
~ Erin
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:51 PM
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Creating Custom PowerPoint Handouts in MS Word
Creating Custom PowerPoint Handouts in MS Word
Have you ever found yourself trying to create handouts to a PowerPoint presentation and wish you had a way to add questions or extra information next to the slide picture?
Maybe it's a presentation for a seminar or a class you're teaching and the handout with the complete slide pictures is great, but you still need a place to ask the important questions that go along with each slide.
I'm a teacher and we use question worksheets during videos and presentations all the time. It helps the students focus their attention on the important stuff that's going on.
So, if the material is delivered in a PowerPoint presentation, we often give them the handouts with a complete set of slides and a space to take notes.
The problem with that situation is that they figure it's all on the slides and don't bother to listen at all.
It really defeats the purpose of the handouts.
What can help?
Well, we could put additional questions to answer on the handouts and we'd be back in business.
Also, sometimes you have just a few extra things to convey that you don't want "cluttering" up the slide.
Where do you put that?
You could work in PowerPoint and go from slide to slide using the Notes Page feature, but then you can only print one slide per page and that eliminates the possibility of using the notes feature for your own speaking notes.
What now?
I have a quick answer to all of that: MS Word!
Yep, it's that simple.
Once your presentation is complete, you can send it to MS Word and then add questions or extra notes to your heart's content.
Ready to learn how?
Yes?
Okay, then let's get started.
The first thing you need to do is open your PowerPoint presentation.
Now, we need to go to the File menu, Send To submenu, Microsoft Word choice.
The Send To Microsoft Word window will open, offering you several setup options for the Word document that will be created.
The top section allows you to choose the layout of the Word document. The pictures pretty much show you how it will look.
At the bottom, you can decide how you want the slides added to the new Word document.
If you choose to Paste the slides into the document, any changes you make to the presentation will not affect the Word file. However, you can edit a slide in the Word document by double clicking it. When the changes are complete, simply click outside the slide.
On the other hand, if you choose the Paste link choice, the slides will be linked to the presentation. The file will be updated each time it's opened to reflect slide changes made in PowerPoint.
When you've made your choices, click OK.
Word will open and your document (slides and all) will be created.
Once the document is complete, you can click into the notes area to enter any extra information or questions you need to make your handouts the best they can be!
Custom handouts at your fingertips.
~ April
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:50 PM
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Ringtones
Q:
Can you give me some information on transferring ringtones from my computer to my cell phone?
A:
There is a lot of information out there about this topic, so I will just give you a basic overview. First of all, just in case some don't know, a ringtone is the sound a cell phone makes when someone receives a call. It's just like the ringer on your home phone, except cell phones have a wide range of different tones to choose from. Most cell phones today can be set to any song, melody or jingle.
You can get ringtones on the Internet and transfer them from your computer to your cell phone. There are several Web sites available for downloading ringtones. You can go to any regular search engine site (like Google or Yahoo!) and type in "ringtones" in the search box. This query will bring up several sites. Some of the sites may offer free downloads and some may not (because of copyrights, etc.), but either way, you will have plenty of tones to look through on any of these sites.
Most of the Web sites will have you enter your phone number so you will be able to download the ringtone to your computer. Some may also have you call a number or enter a code. It just depends on their terms of service. The most important step is getting your phone in sync with your computer. Synchronization is the process of connecting an external peripheral (the cell phone) to a computer and matching updates. This is usually done to help keep the phone's data backed up and updated.
Once you are synchronized, your cell phone will probably come up as a folder under your My Computer icon. You can then open it up and drag the downloaded ringtones to the folder, so they will be put on your phone.
You can also use a ringtone converter, which usually can be found as a download by doing a simple search for that as well. Or, if you have an MP3 player, you can also convert those songs to your cell phone.
Of course, this process may be different for all models of cell phones, but this is a basic guide. You'll want to refer to your manual for any additional questions about synchronization and converting, or contact the manufacturer of your phone.
~ Erin
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:50 PM
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Banish the Blank Slide Jitters
When you start a new PowerPoint presentation, do you stare at that first blank slide and freeze? Do you have problems figuring out just how to start when that blank white slide just stares back at you?
If you have this type of reaction to a blank slide, you may be happy to learn that PowerPoint has some built in help, and I mean a little more help than just a slide design. I'm talking about suggestions for type of content, as well as, presentation order based on the type of presentation you're trying to create.
Interested?
Sounded interesting to me too, so let's get right to it.
What we're looking to use today is the AutoContent Wizard found in the newer versions of MS PowerPoint.
To begin, you need to locate the "From AutoContent Wizard" choice on the Task Pane.
If you don't see the Task Pane, you can use either the File menu, New choice or the View menu, Task Pane choice. Either way, you'll end up in the same place.
When you click on the AutoContent Wizard choice, a three step wizard will start that asks some very basic questions. It's the answers you give here that will be the basis of the presentation.
The first step will ask you to identify what type of presentation you're creating.
It's important to pick something as close to your needs as possible, as the suggestions for content information vary for each presentation type. Picking the closest match will help ensure that you'll find the suggestions useful.
The next two steps are basic information, such as how the presentation will be used, presentation title and footer information.
Click the Finish button after providing as much information to the wizard as possible.
Presto, change-o! Your blank slide is converted to a multiple slide presentation with suggested content topics and placement.
Obviously, you still need to enter the content and alter whatever slide setups and slide orders you deem necessary, but with the wizard, you get to skip the jitters that the intimidating blank slide can cause.
~ April
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:50 PM
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The Clickless Presentation
Do you give presentations using MS PowerPoint?
Is it the mouse click you hear over and over again as you advance through your presentation? Or are you constantly reaching to hit a button on the keyboard?
And, let's talk about moving backward through that presentation. If you're only trying to move a slide or two back, it's either to the keyboard you must go or through the hassle of mouse maneuvering using clicks and menus. (Clearly if you're trying to move a far distance from your current slide then the menus make sense as they will take you directly to your desired location).
So, how about a silent way to move from slide to slide that works both forward and backward?
Yeah, I liked the idea too when I happened upon the situation.
All you need is a mouse with a scroll wheel and to realize that the scroll wheel will do the same work as all the clicking and keys.
Simply scroll the wheel down to advance the presentation and scroll upwards to return to the previous slide.
No clicking! No reaching for keys! Just quick, smooth and easy advancement through your presentation.
~ April
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:49 PM
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How to Share Videos
So, you finally got that video off of your digital camera and on to your computer. Maybe it was from a family event or a night on the town with a bunch of friends. But, it had been sitting there on your camera for weeks and everyone else was dying to see it.
Now that the video is ready to go, the question is: how do you share it with everyone else? You could e-mail the file, but if it's too large, that will simply take too long. The best idea is to make the video available as a streaming video. That way your friends and relatives won't have to download anything. They will just click the link, wait a few seconds and the video should play smoothly.
There are three services that are becoming extremely popular for free video sharing: YouTube.com, Google Video and PutFile.com. Each one will allow you to upload your video and let you send the link to your friends and family to watch it. These services are also great if you've filmed something, such as a short movie or music video, that you just want to share with the world.
All the services work relatively similarly, but we'll use YouTube for this example. In preparation for any video upload, you'll want to make sure you've saved your video in one of the file types that are supported on the Web. This usually includes .avi, .mov and .mpg (some accept .wmv as well). When you download your video from your digital camera to your computer, you should select one of these file types.
Most of these services require you to sign up for free before you can do anything. For YouTube, the sign up option is in the upper right hand corner. Click the link and it will walk you through the process.
Once that is done, you should be back on the main page and ready to upload your video. YouTube has a 100 MB file size limit and a 10 minute time limit. Other services have more or less, so make sure the video you choose is within those standards.
Click the link titled Upload on the top menu towards the right. This will bring you to the Video Upload page.
First, they want you to input some information about your video. In the first form field, enter a title. You can title it whatever you want, such as “Family Reunion,” if that reflects your video.
In the second form field, enter a description of your video.
And in the third form field, where it says Tags, you will want to enter a few keywords that describe your video. This is very important only if you want others to be able to search and find your video.
Below that, under Video Channels, choose a few categories that your video fits in to. This part is also important if you want to share your video with the whole YouTube community.
Once that is done, click the button that says Continue at the bottom of the page to go to the next step.
You’re now ready to upload your video. You should see a yellow box, an empty form field and a button that says Browse next to it. Hit the Browse button. A window should pop up and your computer's file system should be visible. Click the drop down menu next to the words Look In. Choose the file on your computer where your video is saved and once you find the exact video, click it and hit the Open button in the bottom right corner of the window. Now, you should see the path to your file in that same form field.
The next section is Broadcast. This is where you choose if you want to share your video with the entire Internet or not. If you choose Private, only you and those you give access to your video will be able to see it. Your video will not be found on the YouTube general search engine. Make your choice by clicking the radio button next to your selection.
When you’re finished, hit the button that says Upload Video towards the bottom of the page. Your video is now officially being uploaded to the YouTube server. You should see an animated graphic that resembles a star. This means your upload is still being processed. The uploads can take quite awhile, depending on the length of your file. Don’t be surprised if you end up waiting 10 to 15 minutes. As long as you still see the graphic moving, the upload has not stopped.
Once the upload is complete, you will be taken to a new screen where you will be allowed to change any of the information you included with your video.
When you’re ready to send this to your friends, click your username in the upper right hand corner (it should say, “hello, your username”). Next, click My Videos on the top menu. Your video should be listed there, but it may take a few minutes after uploading for it to show up. Underneath each video in your account, you should see a form field with a URL in it (highlighted in blue in the picture above). Copy and paste that URL and include it in an e-mail to your friends and family. All they have to do is click that link and they will be able to view your video.
Make sure to watch the video yourself also by clicking that same link. You can also embed this video into your Web site using the html code provided in the form next to the words Embeddable Player.
Your friends and family will really appreciate this and they will enjoy your videos more than you will ever know!
~ Kimberly Lawson
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:49 PM
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Slides From Files
Slides From Files
Ever create a PowerPoint presentation and get a feeling of déjà vu? Sometimes you're just positive you have created that slide before.
If you use MS PowerPoint frequently, I'd bet that you're right. I'd even bet that you find yourself duplicating previous efforts by creating slides that are either identical or very similar to slides you already have in other files.
At the moment you feel the frustration of lost time due to repetitious work, I'd venture a guess that you'd welcome a way to bring those slides in from the other files without a complicated process.
Good guess?
Yeah, I'm sure it is and fortunately I've got exactly what you need to erase all the bad memories of duplicated efforts forever.
Next time you need a slide from a different file, don't start with a copy / paste and don't recreate the slide from scratch. In fact, don't even open the other file(s) where these slides exist. None of that is necessary with this little trick.
To insert a slide from a different file, go to the Insert menu, Slides from Files choice.
When the Slide Finder window opens, you're looking for the Find Presentation tab.
At the top, you can use the Browse button to locate a file that contains the slides you need in the new presentation.
Once a file is selected, the bottom boxes will fill with previews of the slides in the presentation.
If you do not like the current display layout of slides, you have an option. To the right, just below the Display button, there are two buttons for view choices. Click on the other one for a display that is based on a list of the titles and previews, one slide at a time.
If this is a file that you'll draw slides from frequently, click the Add to Favorites button. This will allow you quick access to this file from the List of Favorites tab while avoiding the file location process.
To actually insert slides into your new presentation, select them from the display. You can use a single select or a combination of slides using either the Shift key or the Ctrl key as you click. (Remember: the Shift key will highlight consecutive slides and the Ctrl key will select non-consecutive slides when each is clicked).
When you have all the slides you need selected, click the Insert button. (Or Insert All, when that case applies).
Instantly, you're back to the new presentation with the slides inserted.
The obvious ending to these instructions is "Repeat as needed."
~ April
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:49 PM
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Leave My Addresses Alone!
Tired of the way your program (Excel, Word or PowerPoint) keeps changing all your web or email addresses into hyperlinks automatically?
Looking for a way to get these programs to stop it and behave themselves?
If you've been answering with yes responses then here's just the thing for you.
What you have happening is the AutoCorrect feature of the program(s) is taking over each time it detects an email or web address. It's then trying to save you time by automatically creating hyperlinks for the addresses instead of you manually setting each one.
Sounds like a good idea unless you're creating a printed document, presentation or other file where you want the addresses to look just like all the other text and not like a hyperlink.
To remove an individual hyperlink immediately after it's created simply hit the undo button (Ctrl + Z). This will undo the last action which was AutoCorrect's switch of your text to a hyperlink.
Should you decide to remove an individual hyperlink later then right click on it and choose Remove Hyperlink from the menu.
If you're using a newer version of the MS Office Suite and you'd like to turn this feature off completely then follow these simple steps:
* First go to the Tools menu, AutoCorrect Options choice.
* Now go to the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
* Here, in the Replace as you type section, uncheck the "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks" checkbox.
* Click Ok.
At this point the program will stop all that annoying text conversion to hyperlink stuff and simply leave your addresses alone.
~ April
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:48 PM
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The Invisible Character
Do you have something that requires a name but you don't want anything in it? You could just throw nonsense in there, but a blank space would be best. Well, guess what? There is an invisible character! This special character is the equivalent of a space:
Hold down Alt then type 0160 (Alt+0160) on the number keypad at the right side of your keyboard.
You could use it as an email address when filling out forms:
@ .com
But here's what I think is the coolest use of it... giving your desktop shortcuts blank labels so all you see is the icon. Interested? (This will only work on shortcuts, not on My Computer, My Documents, or program icons.)
You must have your shortcut labels set to drop shadow so that the they are clear. To find out how to do this, check out our website tip...
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/1449
Now, follow the normal name change procedure: click the name slowly two times to highlight the name.
Type in our invisible character code (Alt+0160). There you go—an icon with no label.
Keep in mind that if you want to do this to other shortcuts you can't have the same name, so just type the code more than once. That means that for the first shortcut you type Alt+0160 release the Alt key then type Alt+0160 again. For the third icon do it three times, etc.
Doesn't that look nice?
~ David
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:59 AM
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Clear Shortcut Labels
Q:
My desktop shortcuts have a solid color behind the names and it blocks my wallpaper. Isn't there a way to make it clear?
A:
The solid box behind a shortcut label can be very annoying, especially if you have dozens of icons on your desktop.
It doesn't take much to change this if you have Windows XP.
Right-click "My Computer" and choose Properties (or hold down Alt & double left-click "My Computer") to bring up the Systems Properties window.
Select the "Advanced" tab. Under "Performance" click the "Settings" button. This will bring up the Performance Options window.
Under the "Visual Options" tab, click the "Custom" radio button. You'll see a list of check boxes.
Check off the one that says, "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop". Then "Apply" or "OK" to make the change.
When you go back to your desktop the labels should be clear.
Now you can see your wallpaper better.
~ David
**If this tip doesn't seem to work, right-click your desktop, go to "Arrange icons" and uncheck "Lock Web Items on Desktop".
David Samuel Thomas
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:46 AM
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Program List
Q:
When I go to my program list it takes up my whole screen. Is there a way to make them into a list or something?
A:
I didn't have this problem with Windows 98 and ME because they showed everything in a list, but with XP I found this pretty annoying. I wanted a list like in the last century—then I discovered this remedy.
1. Right-click the Start Button and choose "Properties".
2. Select the "Start Menu" tab then next to the "Start Menu" radio button click the "Customize" button.
3. Click the "Advanced" tab and scroll down to the box marked "Scroll Programs" and check it.
4. Hit OK then OK again.
Now when you go to "All Programs" you'll get a long list.
If you're like me and have a ton of programs, then you may want to organize programs into folders like "music", "games, etc. For more on how to do this, check out our website...
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/296
~ David
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:37 AM
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Download: Logon Loader
I like bringing you programs that can spruce up your Windows XP, making it more personal. One area that could really use some shaping up is that boring Blue logon screen. I couldn't just leave this out.
Let's' put it this way: if you have incorporated all the Windows alterations that I have showcased in the past couple of weeks, trying to totally change every aspect of your Windows environment, then you have to have Logon Loader. Otherwise this bromidic logon screen is going to stick out like a sore thumb. So I figured that the subject of customizing just wouldn't be complete without this one last program. I also threw in links to some of our other articles at the end. One for an alternative sidebar (like Longhorn's) download, and the other is an article David did on how to change your logon image.
Logon Loader is a light-weight little program that allows you to download and change your logon screen. I'm sure you know my thoughts on this as I have stated them on several occasions, but just to clarify for you just joining us. My thought is: Windows should have way more flexibility over its appearance, but it doesn't, so we have to go out and download, or even pay for, third-party programs to perform what Windows cannot.
OK, I'm done ranting, let's get on with the program description.
With Logon Loader you can go out to one of several sites and download from a staggering wealth of customized logon screens. These images must be loaded into the program in order to be available in the logon screen list. You choose what image you want to use, Apply, and you're good to go.
With Logon Loader you're not confined to the same image either. You can configure it to choose a new randomized logon image for you every time you log on.
The program is tiny and shouldn't take any time to download or install for that matter. There's not a ton of help out there for it, but it's really easy to use. I hope you enjoy the logon changer and if you missed out on the last two download articles I did then you may want to check them out—they cover other programs similar to this one that change visual aspects of the XP Operating System. All of these programs are a bunch of fun to use and they really personalize your Windows environment .
Download it here...
http://logonloader.danielmilner.com/
~ Chad
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:33 AM
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Change Icons for a File Type
Are you tired of the icon associated with your Word docs? Maybe you want all JPEGs to have a unique icon. Well, it can be done. Yes, you can give custom icons to all files of a certain type.
First, if you don't have any custom icons yet, check out Leo's IconArchive for over 10,000 free ones to choose from...
http://www.iconarchive.com/
Save them to a folder, maybe labeled"Icons" in your "My Documents".
Open "My Computer" and look at the top where you'll see File, Edit, View, etc.
Click on "View" (Win 98/ME) or "Tools" (Win XP/2000) and choose "Folder Options" .
Click the "File Types" tab at the top and it will show you a list of available types (XP will show you the icon for each too).
Select the type you want to change and press the "Edit" button (98/ME) or the "Advanced" button (XP/2K).
Next, choose the "Change Icon" button.
Now we need to grab the custom icon so click the "Browse" button and find your way to the folder where you put all those icons you downloaded. Choose one then OK.
There you have it. The files should still open in the program associated with it, but now every one of that type should have the custom icon.
~ David
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:31 AM
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Schedule Maintenance Tasks (ex. Disk Cleanup)
I was amazed at how much space I freed up using Disk Cleanup! I'm terrible at remembering to do this sort of thing. Is there a way to make this happen automatically?
A:
You can schedule maintenance tasks like Disk Cleanup. First, see our tip for settings on Disk Cleanup that will avoid "throwing out" stuff you might need. Go to the Start Menu, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks. The Scheduled Tasks window will appear, and you can click on the icon "Add Scheduled Task".
The Scheduled Task Wizard will open. Click Next to continue and scroll down to Disk Cleanup. Click it, then click Next. In the next window, you can select how often you want the task to occur. For most of us, monthly will be sufficient.
Click Next. Now select how often you'd like your computer to run this task. It helps if you select a time your computer is likely to be on. You can either select a date (the 3rd of the month) or a day (2nd Monday of the month) to run the task.
Click Next. You may or may not see a username/password window next, but you shouldn't need to enter a password unless you set up multiple accounts on your computer. Click Next, then Finish. and you're all set to keep your disk space clean- no remembering needed!
If you ever want to unschedule a task, get back to the scheduled task window (the first picture) and right-click that task. Then choose Delete and OK.
~ Chris Fisher
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:09 AM
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Desktop Lock
Q:
What's an easy way to lock my desktop?
A:
If you want to lock your desktop (that is, take it back to its original start up mode, where you must enter your password or click to enter), there's an easy way to create an icon just for that.
Do the following to avoid using any other key combinations in the future:
Begin by right-clicking an empty spot on your desktop, point to New and click Shortcut.
In the Create Shortcut dialog box, type the following in the “Type the location of the item” text box:
“rundll32 user32.dll,LockWorkStation” (remove the quotes when typing)
Click Next.
In the “Type a name for this shortcut” text box, type “Lock” (or whatever you'd like to name it) and click Finish.
Now, your desktop will be locked whenever you double click on the new icon you just created!
~ Shantala Ramamoorthy
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:05 AM
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Move That Window
Picture this: you're sitting at your computer and you have a browser window open while you search the Web and you also have some sort of a document laid out on your screen. I'm guessing that you probably have them both open to their full size, don't you? It's just too annoying to not have it that way, right?
Well, what if you wanted to move that window over so you could look at something else on your desktop? Maybe you need to open up another application from an icon on your desktop, but you can't even see your icons, because the other windows are covering them up. What to do, what to do?
Don't worry, there's a simple fix. All you have to do is restore down the window you want to move. Then you can just grab the top of the window with your mouse and move it wherever you want it to be on your screen. You can even move it all the way to the bottom of your screen, so it will for sure be out of your way until you need it back up. Once the window is smaller, you can take it anywhere.
Restore down is the little box between the minimize button and the close button in the upper right hand corner of any window. Just click on that and it will shrink your window down so you can move it all around. Once you're done, just click that button again and it will bring the window back to its maximum size.
Pretty neat, huh? I think it might come in handy for you one day. : )
~ Erin
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 10:02 AM
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Performance Options
Did you know that you can customize your settings, so your computer will run and look just the way you want it to? Well, you can and here's how.
Click on Start, Control Panel and get into the Performance area. XP users need to click on Performance and Maintenance to get to this section. Once in there, look for the link that says "Adjust visual effects." Click on that and a box will pop up with the title of Performance Options.
Here you can select the settings you want to use for the appearance and performance of Windows. You can do everything from animate windows when minimizing and maximizing to show shadows under your menus to smooth the edges of the screen fonts. You can also choose to use a background image for each folder type you have and use visual styles on windows and buttons.
The options are endless, so go ahead and mix it up a little. You better get started on making your computer perform and look the way that pleases you the most and remember, have fun with it!
~ Erin
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 9:59 AM
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Quick Launch
We have done a longer, more advanced tip on Quick Launch before, but I've been getting some e-mails from people asking just how to get icons down in their bottom toolbar, so I thought I would cover that again real quick.
The space where the icons sit in the bottom left side of your desktop (right next to the Start button) is called the Quick Launch Toolbar. You can put an icon there for any program that you go to regularly, so it will open much quicker. Otherwise, you have to go to your Start menu and search through all of your Programs or find where it's located on your desktop.
Sometimes that can take much longer than you would like, so putting an icon right at the bottom of your screen helps you to find the program much quicker and the quick launch makes it easier to get going on your daily computer activities.
To put a new icon in your toolbar, find the program in your Start menu or on your desktop and just simply drag and drop it into the quick launch area. Once you do that, a new icon will automatically be created for quicker access.
To get rid of an icon, just right click on it and select Delete and then Yes. Sounds easy enough, right? : )
~ Erin
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 9:19 AM
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Change the Start
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We use the Windows Start menu quite often, don't we? It has a critical affect on our daily computing activities. In fact, it would be basically impossible to operate our computer without the Start menu. Without it, it would much more difficult to access our favorite programs that we have installed on our computers. It would even be harder to run the essential Windows applications.
Imagine your computer without the Start menu. You wouldn't be able to create all those shortcuts you have on your desktop. You couldn't even customize the taskbar that makes our everyday computer jobs all the much easier. It's crazy to think about how important the Start menu is. It organizes our programs, it allows us easy access to them and it does it so quickly and painless! I think you now know how important the Start menu is to all of us. So, let's continue.
The Windows XP Start menu is actually the most evolved and enhanced version among the Windows family of operating systems. It allows for some neat tricks that make even better use of the handy and friendly menu!
Apart from the easy working experience that that Start menu offers, the method of displaying our programs list is of great importance as well. You may have different viewpoints about your work environment than say, one of your friends. For example, you may want the best colors on your desktop and you may want a different way for your programs to be displayed on the Start menu.
In order to display the list of programs on your computer, you probably click Start and then point your mouse cursor over All Programs. In a matter of seconds, the list of all your programs and applications installed appear. In fact, you probably do this several times a day, because you need a new program open at a different time. So, every time you go to the Start menu, All Programs, you're seeing the long list of programs and it can sometimes be frustrating to wade through.
Well, there is an easy way to change this. You can easily change the way Windows displays the program list on your Start menu. You can change the linger of the mouse cursor that brings up the long list to a mere single click that brings up nothing! This method may be more preferable to you, because it eliminates the unnecessary gigantic list of programs popping up all the time.
Start by right clicking on the Start menu and selecting Properties.
By pressing Properties, as you can see, your Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window appears.
Now, click the Start Menu tab. Make sure you are using the Start Menu and not the Classic Start menu.
Okay, now select Customize, which will open the Customize Start Menu window. Select the Advanced tab.
This is the area where you can change the way your Start menu is displayed. Again, you can either have your program list come up automatically with a mouse rollover or you can single click on All Programs to bring up the list.
If you opted for the single click, uncheck the box that says "Open submenus when I pause on them with my mouse" and click OK twice. So, now you can click on Start, point your mouse over All Programs and do a quick single click. As you can see, your programs will not appear until you do that single click. Pretty convenient, if you ask me.
Doing things this way gives you better control over the way your list of programs appears on your screen. Once you're ready to find a program, just single click and be done. No more messing with the long list popup!
~ Hamid Reza
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| posted by ^%&^
@ 9:10 AM
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