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Welcome to today's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, March 9, 2003
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Active Window
Featured Webpage: Anatomy of a Window
Featured Computer Term: Wait State
This Week's Topic: Your Computer's Clock - Maintain Perfect Time
Question: Changing Your Screen Saver
Featured Websites: Get the Best Price; Eye Health and Safety Awareness
Month; Yoga; Sewing
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Using Links
A Link is a reference to a website. In this newsletter you will see links to many worthwhile, informative and fun websites. Here are the instructions on how to use links:
A link will be used one of two ways, depending on your email program.
If you see the link in blue, underlined text, all you have to do is click on it and a window with the Website in it will automatically appear on your screen.
If you see the link in plain text, you can copy and paste it into the address bar on your browser. Highlight the link with your mouse, click Edit up on the menu bar, and then click Copy from the menu that you just opened up. Open your browser (click the Start Button, point to Programs, click on Internet Explorer); click on the address bar. Click Edit up on the menu bar, and then click Paste from the menu that you just opened up. Press the Enter key on the keyboard and this will take you to the Website.
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Special Feature: Active Window
Question: I’ve heard the term Active Window. What does this mean?
Answer: A feature of Windows that just might make life easier for you is multi-tasking, your computer’s ability to do more than one thing at a time. Multitasking can be very convenient and a big time saver if you’re using a few different programs and you don't want to keep opening and closing programs to get your work done.
Multitasking includes the concept of the active window.
When you open a program, that program is active. Anything you do with your mouse or keyboard will happen in that program. If you open another program without closing the previous one, you will have two programs running which means you will have two windows on your desktop. One of them will be the active window and the other (or others if you have more than two programs running) will be the inactive window.
So how do you know which one is active?
If the active window is running full screen, you’ll be able to see only that window and the taskbar. The other open programs will be behind the active window. To get to them, click the corresponding button on the taskbar. That window will then come to the front, making it the active window.
If you can see more than one window on the screen, the active window is the one that looks bright, colorful, non-gray or non-dull. Look at the window’s title bar: unless you’ve made changes to the colors and appearance of your desktop, the active window’s title bar will be a brighter blue then the inactive window’s title bar. If you’re not sure which one’s the active one, simply click on the one you want to be the active window.
To learn more about the elements of windows, take a look below at our Featured Webpage: Anatomy of a Window.
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Featured Webpage: Anatomy of a Window
Question: When I open a program, the window has all kinds of things on the top, bottom and sides. What are all these things called and what are they for?
Answer:
Take a look at our Anatomy of a Window article on our website where you’ll see graphical explanations of control buttons, menus, toolbars and more.
http://stsico.com/html/windows_intro.html
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Today's Computer Term: Wait State
The time while your computer’s processor waits for an operation to complete so it can start working on another operation is called a wait state. If the wait state is long enough, you may notice that your mouse pointer changes into the shape of an hour glass.
Some systems have a longer wait state than others do. It depends on the speed of the processor, the amount of cache it has and the amount of memory.
The more MHz or GHz the computer has, the shorter the wait state will be.
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Today's Topic: Your Computer's Clock - Maintain Perfect Time
Most computers do a poor job of keeping time, losing or gaining as much as a couple of seconds a day. That may not seem like a big deal, but let it go on for a few months and it's more than enough to put your PC's clock several minutes on the fast or slow side.
It’s pretty easy to adjust the clock: double click on it and you’ll see a dialog box where you can make the necessary changes.
Windows XP users can solve this problem easily. Simply right-click the clock in the corner of the taskbar, click Adjust Date/Time, select the Internet Time tab, and check the Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server box. When your computer connects to the Internet, it will periodically check in with an atomic clock and make sure that you have the correct time.
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Question: Changing the Screen Saver
Question: I’d like to change my screen saver. Can you tell me how to do this?
Answer:
- Right click on any blank area of your desktop - avoid the icons and the taskbar. - Left click on Properties.
- Click on Screen Saver tab.
- Open the Screen Saver Drop down box
- Choose the design you want.
- Click OK.
If you are using Windows XP, you can create your own screen saver slideshow. It’s a great feature; it will display your pictures, one by one, on your computer screen. Here’s how you set it up:
1. If you have pictures from a digital camera or scanner, save them in the My Pictures folder.
2. Right click on your desktop, and then click on Properties.
3. Click on the Screen Saver tab.
4. In the screen saver list, click on My Pictures Slideshow.
Now your screen saver will show pictures from your My Pictures folder.
You can load pictures fresh from your digital camera or scan in your old pictures, and have them displayed as a slideshow.
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Today's Featured Websites:
Note: if you're not sure how to use the following links to websites, take a look at the instructions on using links at the beginning of this newsletter.
Get the Best Price
If you’re in the market for computers, computer equipment or electronics, you can use pricewatch.com to make sure you get the best price. At this site, you can search through the dealers offering the best price and the best service.
http://www.pricewatch.com
Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month
March is Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month and this week is Save Your Vision week. Take a look at the Prevent Blindness America website to learn more about eye problems, safety precautions you can take, eye tests and more.
http://www.preventblindness.org/
Yoga
According to some studies, yoga can reduce the amount and severity of asthma attacks, reduce stress during pregnancy, create more self confidence, transfer anger into peacefulness and much more. You can learn the basics of yoga, postures, exercises and techniques and sign up for a free email newsletter at this website:
http://www.yogabasics.com/
Sewing
You can get basic sewing lessons online at Sewing.org. There is a monthly lesson, or you can go through a list of lessons on the site, from making seams to putting in a zipper or a collar. Most of the lessons are illustrated, making it easy to learn, and you can print out the lesson if you don't want to sit at the computer to learn it. There’s also a free email newsletter.
http://www.sewing.org/
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