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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, November 13, 2005
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Print in Black and White
Special Feature: Static Electricity Warning
Tips & Tricks: Easy Email Attachments
This Week's Topic: Creating Desktop Icons
Question: Make Websites Easier to Read
Websites of Interest: Useless Information; Gemstones; World Clock; The Greatest Films
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Special Feature: Print in Black and White
Question: Can I print something in black and white instead of color? The ink cartridges are expensive and a lot of times I don't need color.
Answer:
Most inkjet printers will allow you to change the settings to either grayscale or black and white. How you change this setting will vary from printer to printer, so the following instructions will not be specific to your printer.
Click the Start button and open Control Panel. Open Printers.
You should now see your printer (if you do not, click View installed printers or fax printers).
Right click on your printer. From the resulting menu, left click on Properties.
Here is where the variation comes in. You will now have to search through this dialog box to find a setting to print in black and white or grayscale. This may be either on a different tab or you may have to click a button to find it. If you have trouble finding the setting, check the printer help manual.
After you have found the setting and selected it, click the OK button to close the dialog box.
Once you change the settings to print in black and white or grayscale, every document you print will be in black and white unless you set it back manually. If you would prefer to limit your black and white printing to only certain documents, you can change the settings within the program. To do so, click File on the menu and then Print. You should see the same or a similar dialog box as described above. Look for a black and white or grayscale setting.
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Special Feature: Static Electricity Warning
Static Electricity can do serious damage to your computer. Now that the weather is changing, that is something we have to be concerned about. In the summer, the air has more moisture in it and electrons move slowly from one object to another. In the winter when the air is dry, these electrons stay on you or an object until you touch a conductor. That is when you feel a shock.
If the object the electrons move to is your computer, you can shock it, causing damage. Computers are sensitive to these shocks; you can damage computer parts with static that you may not even feel.
To avoid this, touch something metal to ground out any charges in you before you touch any part of the computer.
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Tips & Tricks: Easy Email Attachments
In some email programs, you can drag and drop files right into the email you want them attached to. Here is how:
Open My Documents (or the folder where the file to be attached is located). Navigate to the file you want to send. Click on it to select it (Note: do not click twice; that will open the file). Restore the window so that it fills half of your screen.
Open your email program. Open a new email. Restore the email window so that it fills half of your screen and move it next to the My Documents window.
Point to the selected file in the My Documents window and drag it to the body of the email. Release the mouse button.
Note: this tip works in Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express and America Online 9.0. Try it in your email program.
Read more about Minimize, Maximize, Restore and sizing windows:
http://stsico.com/html/windows_intro.html
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Today's Topic: Creating Desktop Icons
Question: I installed a new program on my computer, which I have done before. Usually there is an icon for the program but this time there is not. Where did the program go?
Answer:
Most programs will be located in the Program menu.
To find your newly-installed program, click on the Start button and then point to Programs. You should see the new program in this list. If you are using Windows XP, in most XP setups, a recently installed program will be highlighted in yellow.
You can create a desktop icon for your new program, or any program that is in the Start/Programs menu. Then, all you have to do is double click on it and the program will start right up. Here is how:
Go to the program in the Start button menu like you usually do. Click Start, point to Programs and then point to the program you would like to create the icon for. Do not click the program, because you do not want to open it right now.
Hold down the right mouse button and drag the program to the desktop. Release the button. You will now see a small menu with several choices. Left click on Copy Here.
That will create an icon for the program, and you will still be able to open it by going through the Start button menu.
This process can be used to create an icon for any program that is in your Start button menu.
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Question: Make Websites Easier to Read
Some websites I visit have dark text on a dark background making it very difficult to read. Is there an easy way to make these readable?
Answer:
Yes, there is. Highlight the text on the page. When text is highlighted, the selection color is usually a blue background with white text. This will make the website much easier to read.
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Websites of Interest:
Useless Information
This website has some pretty weird stories but some of them are fascinating. The slogan of this site is "Stuff You Never Needed To Know, But Your Life Would Be Incomplete Without." Take a look.
http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/index.html
Gemstones
Here is a website with information on gemstones, rocks and minerals. Learn how gems and precious metals are used as jewelry and ornaments.
http://www.minerals.net/
World Clock
This site provides an accurate world clock. A great resource for determining the time in any city or country in the world.
http://www.worldtimeserver.com/
The Greatest Films
Take a look at this website for information on America’s greatest movies. You will find plot summaries, reviews, posters and much more.
http://www.filmsite.org/ |
