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Welcome to today's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, May 5, 2002
Today is Cinco de Mayo. Take a look at our Featured Website section to learn more about this holiday.
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Customizing the Links Bar in Internet Explorer
Featured Computer Term: Uppercase and Lowercase
This Week's Topic: Straightening Up Your Desktop
Question: Silence Your Modem
Learning Series: Word Processing - Moving Text Using The Mouse
Featured Website: Cinco de Mayo
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Special Feature: Customizing the Links Bar in Internet Explorer
When you find Web sites or pages that you like, you can keep track of them, so it's easy to open them in the future. If you have a handful of sites or pages that you visit very often, add them to your Links bar.
You can customize the Links bar in the browser. You can add or remove favorite websites (also called shortcuts), rearrange their order, and even change the icons associated with them. Once the shortcut is on the bar, just click on it to go right to that website.
If the Links bar isn’t on your screen, click View on the menu, point to Toolbars and click Links.
To add a shortcut to the Links bar, drag the Web page's icon from the Address bar directly to the Links bar (the web page's icon is the little picture to the left of the address on the address bar). Or drag any link from a Web page, your Favorites bar, or your desktop onto the Links bar.
To remove a shortcut from the Links bar, right-click the shortcut, and then click Delete.
To rearrange shortcuts on the Links bar, drag a shortcut to a new place on the Links bar.
To customize shortcuts on the Links bar, right-click the shortcut, and then click Properties. Here you can click the Change Icon button to select a different icon for the shortcut.
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Today's Computer Term: Uppercase and Lowercase
Uppercase characters are capital letters; lowercase characters are small letters. For example, apple is in lowercase while APPLE is in uppercase.
The term comes from the days when typewriter keys had capital letters above the lowercase letters.
A program or process that distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase is said to be case sensitive.
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Today's Topic: Straightening Up Your Desktop
If your computer screen is a mess because of haphazardly arranged icons on your desktop, you can bring order to all the chaos with just a few clicks of your mouse.
On your desktop, right-click anywhere where there is no icon. A small menu will appear with several options. Select the Arrange Icons and choose the way you want them to be ordered. Try the different options listed there; remember, you can always put things back to where they were before.
If you have icons on the desktop that you never use, drag them into the Recycle Bin (only drag icons that have the small arrow, called a jump arrow, on them -leave My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin and any others that do not display an arrow). This does not remove the program, it only removes the icon, the point, to the program.
If you don’t feel comfortable removing icons, create a folder on the desktop. Right click like you did before, point to New, then click on Folder. Type the folder name and then you can drag icons into this folder.
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Question: Silence Your Modem
The following is a question from a newsletter subscriber:
When I sign onto the Internet, my computer makes a horribly loud screeching sound. Is this normal? And, if it is, can I do something about it? Thanks so much. I love your newsletter and all the helpful information that you give.
Answer:
That sound you hear is your modem. It’s called handshaking. That’s how two devices (your computer and the one that it’s connecting to) start communicating. Handshaking begins when one device sends a message to another device indicating that it wants to establish a connection. The two devices then send several messages back and forth that enable them to agree on a communications protocol such as the speed that the information will be sent at.
If the sound made by your modem is too loud, you can decrease the volume. You’ll have to open Control Panel. If you’re using Windows 95, 98 or ME, click the Start button, point to Settings and click Control Panel. If you’re using Windows XP, click the Start button and click Control Panel.
Once you’re in Control Panel, double click the Modems icon. Click the Properties button and in the general tab, slide the speaker volume as far to the left (towards off) as you want until the sound is at a level that you want. You can even turn the volume off if you want.
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Progressive Learning Series: Word Processing - Moving Text Using The Mouse
The following is a question from a newsletter subscriber:
My grandson showed my how to move text with the mouse but he did it very quickly and I forgot the steps. Do you know how to do this?
Answer: Yes, this can be done in Microsoft Word, Works or Wordpad. Word processing programs include many different tools you can use to edit your document. One of the easiest methods of editing your document uses the mouse entirely. You can use your mouse to move text, the same way you would move another object, such as a graphic.
You can use the mouse to move text by following these steps:
1. Select the text you want to move.
2. Click on the text with the mouse button and drag it to where you want it moved.
3. Release the mouse button.
If you want to copy your text instead of moving it, you can hold down the Ctrl key while using the mouse to drag the selection.
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Today's Featured Website: Cinco de Mayo
What do Mexicans celebrate on Cinco de Mayo (May 5th)?
http://soil-physics.nmsu.edu/vista/esl/m5_faq.html
The Cinco de Mayo History Website provides an overview of the holiday.
http://www.vivacincodemayo.org/history.htm
For an account of the 1862 battle, and the politics behind it, visit the Cinco de mayo de 1862 - La Batalla de Puebla website.
http://www.nacnet.org/assunta/spa5may.htm
In celebration of the holiday, send your friends an e-card at Cinco de Mayo Virtual Greeting Cards
http://www.freewebcard.com/cards/cincodemayo/
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo With Mariachi Music and Special Fare. This website has recipes for spicy soups, salads, and chicken and fish dinners.
http://www.tabasco.com/html/taste_cincorelease.html |
