|
Welcome to today's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, December 8, 2002
In this Issue:
Special Feature: How to Buy a Laptop Computer
Featured Computer Term: CD-RW
This Week's Topic: Your Computer: Turn it off or Leave it on?
Question: Change the Size of the Taskbar
Learning Series: Microsoft Word - Change Case
Featured Websites: Tuesday is Human Rights Day; Christmas Wish List; Holiday Webtender; Take a Typing Test Online; Check Your Email While Traveling
******************************************************************** ***
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.
******************************************************************** ***
Special Feature: How to Buy a Laptop Computer
Question: I am thinking about buying a computer, probably a laptop. Could you give me some pointers on what to look for?
Answer:
There are many different factors that can determine your purchase.
Since the laptop comes with its own built-in display, you should get the biggest display that is comfortable for your eyes.
Most laptops should come with at least 256 MB of RAM, but, since this helps determine the speed of your computer, the more the better.
As for the processor, unless you’re on a budget, get the fastest processor that you can, which, at this time, would be a Pentium 4. You can't upgrade the processor very easily in a laptop, but if you need to save some money, you can sacrifice a little bit of speed and get a Celeron processor.
There’s a wide variety of hard drive sizes out there right now. Most laptops come with pretty big hard drives for a mobile device, but, the amount and size of programs will determine the capacity of the hard drive you’ll need.
Try to find a laptop that has USB 2.0 and FireWire (IEEE 1394). Most Peripherals devices are moving over to these connections so that will give you flexibility with printers, scanners and other devices that you might want to purchase in the future.
Try to get the laptop with the most video RAM, because this will increase your performance in Windows XP and you can't really replace the video card later if you need a better video card.
External drives will add to the bottom line cost. Some of the newer machines aren’t shipping with floppy drives anymore. If this is important to you, that would be an extra. A combination DVD and CD-RW drive is a good idea. If the budget isn’t too tight, you may even go with a DVD-RW. Some laptops have swappable drive bays -meaning you put in the CD drive when you need it, and take it out and put in the floppy when you need that. While this is a money saver, and saves on weight of the machine, too, this can become annoying if you use your external drives frequently.
Definitely try out the keyboard and pointing device, because a laptop is great unless you don't like to use it as a result of uncomfortable typing and navigating.
Now that you have all these great contraptions in one spot, you may want to think about how much it weighs. If you want a very powerful yet portable machine, then you will have to keep in mind that you will have a heavier machine. If your main concern is to use this machine during travel, then you may want to give up a few of the extras in exchange for a lighter laptop.
******************************************************************** ***
Today's Computer Term: CD-RW
Short for CD-ReWritable disk, a CD-RW disk is a type of CD disk that enables you to write onto it in multiple sessions. One of the problems with CD-R disks is that you can only write to them once. With CD-RW drives and disks, you can treat the optical disk just like a floppy or hard disk, writing data onto it multiple times.
The first CD-RW drives became available in mid-1997. They can read CD-ROMs and can write onto CD-R or CD-RW disks. Howver, CD-RW disks can only be read by a CD-RW drive. CD-R disks can be read by any CD-ROM players.
******************************************************************** ***
Today's Topic: Your Computer: Turn it off or Leave it on?
Question: I hear mixed opinions: Do I always leave my computer on or should I turn it off every day?
Answer:
When you’re doing your daily computer work, you’re probably opening and closing many programs. When doing this, Windows actually retains small fragments of applications that are not removed from memory until you shutdown the computer. This uses system resources, and you may even notice the computer slowing down.
To keep your system running at peak capacity, shut your computer down at the end of the day. When you return, turn it back on; you will then have a clean and optimally running machine.
Note: the above applies to stand alone computers. If you're working on a network, or if your computer is attached to a group of other computers, speak with your network administrator as to the proper procedure for shutting down the computer.
******************************************************************** ***
Question: Change the Size of the Taskbar
Question: At the bottom of my screen, the task bar is twice the size it should be, as in twice as deep as the Start button and the clock. How can I change it back to the original size?
Answer:
It’s easy to change the height of your taskbar. You might have to try this a couple of times, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty simple.
Point your mouse to the top edge of your taskbar until the pointer turns into a vertical double-headed arrow. Hold down the left mouse button and drag up or down. The taskbar will become higher or lower.
If you have quite a few programs open, it can be very helpful to increase the size of your taskbar; you’ll then be able to read the text on the buttons for the opened windows. When you’re down to only two or three open programs, then decrease the size of the taskbar to give yourself more room on the desktop.
******************************************************************** ***
Progressive Learning Series: Microsoft Word - Change Case
There is a keyboard shortcut to format typed text into all capitals, lower case, or title case.
1. Highlight the text
2. Hold the shift key down and press F3 (this is a key at the top of your keyboard)
3. Each time you press F3 (while holding down the shift key) the text will cycle through all caps to lower case to title case.
Note: if you don’t like to memorize keyboard shortcuts, you’ll find the Change Case command in the menus. Click Format, then click Change Case.
******************************************************************** ***
Today's Featured Websites:
Tuesday is Human Rights Day
Human Rights Watch protects the rights of people here in the United States and around the world and works to end abusive practices and discrimination. Learn more about this organization at:
http://www.hrw.org
Take a Typing Test Online
Ever wonder how fast you can type? Visit this website to take a typing test. There’s also a free trial of their typing lessons available, but there’s a fee for the whole package.
http://www.typingweb.com
Christmas Wish List
It's getting close to Christmas; has someone asked you for your Christmas list yet? Take a look at this website: thethingsiwant.com allows you to include items on your wish list from any Web site. Sign-up is quick and the site is easy to maneuver through. When you’re done, just point it out to whomever you want, and they have your wish list! (This Web site doesn't just have to be for Christmas. You can use thethingsiwant.com for a birthday wish list or as a baby or wedding registry.)
http://www.thethingsiwant.com/
Holiday Webtender
For those holiday parties, this website will help you with the refreshments. You can browse through lists of recipes or try random selections. There’s even a feature where you tell webtender what ingredients you have, and you'll get a list of all the drinks you can make with those ingredients.
http://www.webtender.com/
Find a Computer While Traveling
If you’re traveling for the holidays and would like to find a computer to check your emails, here’s a website where you can do just that. Enter the ZIP code of the location you’ll be in and you’ll get a list of libraries within 20 miles of you, with maps and directions provided. (There’s also a toll free number that you can call).
http://conectado.org/english/
|
