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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, September 14, 2008
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Worst Email Scams
Tips & Tricks: Change Case in Word
This Week's Topic: Dialog Box Controls
Question: Internet Explorer History
Websites of Interest: American Memory; Lastminute Auctions; Baby Names; Telephone Reminders
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Special Feature: Worst Email Scams
The following is from switched.com:
Scam #7: Make Money From Home!
The Come-On:
You get an e-mail offering you a job that sounds like an easy way to make a quick buck. All you have to do is cash a check, keep a percentage for yourself, and wire the rest back.
The Scam:
Like the Nigerian fraud, the funds you're getting are fake, even though they might look legit. A few days after you deposit the check and wire the rest back, the check will be discovered as phony and you'll have paid the scammers from your own pocket.
What You Can Do:
Don't be fooled by personal job offers. Many times, scammers find victims through online ads and try to threaten legal action if you don't comply. As always, if it's too good to be true, it probably is.
Be sure to read our next newsletter to learn all about the Phishing for Stimulus scam.
Please visit our newsletter archives for information on the scams we have highlighted in previous editions of this newsletter:
Investment Pump & Dump scam:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/072008.html
Cancel This Order! scam:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/072708.html
You Win! scam:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/080308.html
Nigerian Letter scam:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/081008.html
Gone Phishing scam:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/081708.html
US Bombs Iran scam:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/090708.html
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Tips & Tricks: Change Case in Word
Question: I am not a good typist. I always press the caps lock key and then when I look up, I see I typed everything in capital letters. My granddaughter said there is a way to fix that, but she explained so fast, I did not follow her. Can you tell me how?
Answer:
Select the text with your mouse. To do so, point to the first character you want to change. Hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse to the last character you want to change. Release the mouse button. You will see that all the text is highlighted.
Click Format on the menu, and then click Change Case. Select sentence case and click the OK button.
The text will now be in the correct case.
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Today's Topic: Dialog Box Controls
When you give your computer a command and it needs more information from you in order to carry out that command, you will see a small window called a Dialog Box. Dialog boxes appear for Windows commands and in specific programs.
Dialog boxes have some things in common with program windows, but there are differences, too.
The title bar of the window appears at the top of the dialog box, but you usually will not see a button on the Windows taskbar. This is one of the ways that a dialog box is different from a program window: if a program window disappears, you can click its button on the taskbar. To find a lost dialog box, you may have to hunt around a little bit.
You give commands in a dialog box using the Controls in there. There are different types of controls; here are descriptions of some of them:
The X button. Usually found in the top, right corner of the window, the X is used to close the window. If you give a command in the window and then click the X, the computer will not carry out the command.
Tabs. Tabs are usually found across the top of the dialog box. They are designed to remind you of the tabs on file folders. Each tab represents a different page in the dialog box containing commands.
Spinners. A spinner is a small up and down arrow placed right next to a number. Click the up arrow to increase the number; click the down arrow to decrease the number.
Drop-down lists. When you see an item in a small box, with a small down arrow to the immediate right of it, that is a drop down list. Click the small arrow and a list will open with multiple choices on it. Click the one you want.
Check boxes. Usually a small square to the immediate left of a choice, a checkbox is clicked to choose that option. Click a empty checkbox and a checkmark appears. Click a checkbox that already has a checkmark in it and the check mark goes away, unselecting that item. Generally, in a group of check boxes, you can select as many as you want.
Option buttons. These are small circles to the immediate left of a choice. An option button is clicked to select it and a small black circle will appear within the empty option button. Usually, you can only choose one option button in the group of buttons. Option buttons used to be called radio buttons, because they look and work like the old radios in cars
Command buttons. Usually found at the bottom right of a dialog box, you will see OK and Cancel. Click the OK button to command the computer to make all the changes you just specified in the dialog box; the dialog box will then close. Click Cancel if you changed your mind and do not want to make the changes. Some dialog boxes will have an Apply button; click this to tell the computer to make your changes but keep the dialog box open to make more.
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Question: Internet Explorer History
I just bought a new laptop with Windows Vista. While I like it very much, there are some things here and there that I am having trouble finding. One of them is History, in Internet Explorer. It is a feature that I found to be quite helpful. Could you tell me if it still exists and where to find it?
Answer:
Yes, it is still there. It has been grouped together with Favorites.
Look for the yellow star on the left edge of the window. You will find it near the top. When you click on it, you will see Favorites, Feeds and History. Click on History. A window will open, to the left of the screen, that looks almost the same as it did in prior versions of Internet Explorer.
When you are finished with History, click on a blank spot on the website and the history window will close.
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Websites of Interest:
American Memory
From the Library of Congress, this website provides free access to articles, pictures, videos, maps and more that document the American history.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
Lastminute Auctions
Here is a great way to hunt for bargains. This site offers categorized listings of eBay auctions ending in less than an hour.
http://www.lastminute-auction.com/
Baby Names
From the Social Security office, select a year and get a list of the most popular baby names at that time.
http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/popularnames.cgi
Telephone Reminders
Use this website to schedule a reminder call to your phone. Useful to remind yourself of important events or for a wakeup call when traveling.
http://www.wakerupper.com/
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