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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, December 19, 2004
To all of our friends, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.
From all of us at Sharper Training Solutions - Ceil, Liv, Kristin, Francine, Maryanne, Theresa, Lynn, Deanna, Dan and Donna
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Holiday Shopping Online
Special Feature: Shopping Online with Credit Cards
Featured Computer Term: Windows Hotfix
This Week's Topic: Improve Your Digital Photos
Questions: Printer Off Colors
Websites of Interest: Online Typing Test; Pop History; Monterey Bay; Name that Movie
We are going to take the next two weekends off to celebrate the holidays with our friends and families. See you in '05!
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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: Holiday Shopping Online
Question: I would like to do some of my shopping online. Some shopping websites offer overnight shopping so I still have time to buy from them. How can I tell if an online company is legitimate and that it is safe to make my purchase?
Answer:
First of all, NEVER buy from a company that you receive unsolicited email from about a product you don't know.
For anything you decide to purchase, do your homework before you buy. Check out the company’s reputation and review the website very well. Find the Customer Service or Contact us page. In there, look for an address and a phone number that you can call if you are dissatisfied or have a question.
Review the company’s Privacy Policy to make sure they will not sell your information to marketers. Learn what the refund and return policy is.
See if you can find any information on the company at the Better Business Bureau website. Here is the link:
http://www.bbbonline.org/
If you cannot find any of this information, or you aren’t satisfied with what you find, go on to another website. On the Internet, there is no lack of websites or companies willing to sell to you.
Here are some steps to take after you purchase an item:
Keep a record of the purchase. Print out the page with the seller's name, address, and phone number. Print out the page with the description of the item you ordered.
Most websites will display a confirmation page after you complete your purchase and also send an email to you with the order information. Print any confirmation pages and email messages you get. If you receive an email about shipping, print these, too.
Some sellers will send shipper tracking numbers so you can go to the shipper’s site to check on the status of your item and the approximate date that you will receive it. Print these emails as well.
Take a look at the Better Business Bureau’s online shopping tips:
http://www.bbbonline.org/OnlineShopTips/
Created by the American Bar Association, this site helps consumers shop safely online.
http://www.safeshopping.org/
From the Federal Trade Commission, some online shopping safety tips to keep in mind.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/online/cybrsmrt.htm
Special Feature: Shopping Online with Credit Cards
Question: Is it safe to give out my credit card information online?
Answer:
Never give your credit card number to a website that doesn't have a secure connection. This is identified by one of two things that you will see when you are ready to complete your purchase and input your personal and credit card information.
1. An S at the end of http in the site’s address. You will see https instead of http.
2. A padlock in the lower right portion of your Internet Explorer browser.
There are also things on your end that you can do to stop the possibility of online theft. Shop only at sites of reputable companies (read the article above on Holiday Shopping Online). Use a true credit card and not a debit card for online shopping; you will have the extra protection that a credit card company offers. If possible, have one credit card for nothing but online sales with a low credit limit.
There is also Paypal which is very popular—it has thousands of supported vendors, and works well. You put money into your Paypal account and then pay for online orders out of that account which eliminates any possibility of theft.
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Featured Computer Term: Windows Hotfix
Question: I recently tried to uninstall some programs by going into Add Remove Programs in Control Panel. At the bottom of the list of programs were many items call Windows Hotfixes. There has to be a good 25 or 30 of these. What are they?
Answer:
Frequently, Windows XP automatically updates. Depending on your settings, you may see a message asking or telling you about these updates. They are usually patches that plug holes in the system that would otherwise leave your computer vulnerable to attacks by hackers.
To see what each hotfix specifically does, you can visit its information page on the Microsoft website. Here is how:
Click the Start button and open Control Panel. Open Add/Remove Programs. Scroll down toward the bottom and you will see a list of Windows XP Hotfixes.
Click the hotfix and it will expand to show a link that says Click here for support information. Click the link.
The Support Info window will open with a link to the support.microsoft.com website. Click the link. This will open your browser and take you to the page that gives specific information about that hotfix.
Is there a computer term or phrase that you'd like to see an explanation of?
Email it to info@computerkindergarten.com and we'll put the term and its
definition in an upcoming newsletter.
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Today's Topic: Improve Your Digital Photos
Here are some simple steps you can take to get better prints from your digital photos...
1. Watch the resolution. The best way to get high quality prints is to shoot the picture at a high resolution. Read your camera’s manual to learn how to set the resolution. If this means that you fill up the camera’s card quickly, consider purchasing a larger card or several cards large enough to hold all your pictures.
2. Use Good Paper. When printing photos, use photo paper. Generally, the paper the printer manufactures sell are designed to be used with the ink in your printer and will almost always give great results. Unfortunately these papers can be very expensive so experiment with some lower cost paper. Some of the office stores, Office Depot, for example, make their own; try them out.
3. Printer Settings. When you are ready to print a photo, click the Properties button in the printer dialog box. Check for a paper type option. If you are using photo paper and have plain paper selected, the results will not be as good. In order to get the best quality, always try to match your paper type.
Check the color settings. Some printers will give many options; some will give none at all. Try the default settings; if you are not happy with the results, experiment with other settings.
In conclusion, don't be afraid to experiment but be sure to note the things that do and don’t work. You will go through ink cartridges and photo paper in the process, but discovering the best print settings will be worth it.
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Question: Printer Off Colors
Question: all of a sudden the colors from my printer are off. It printed very nicely but now the colors are faded and look odd. What do you think could be causing this?
Answer:
The cause is probably one of two ink related problems. The first is that your ink cartridge is empty. Purchase a new ink cartridge and try it out. If the printing is back to normal, you will know the cause of the problem.
If the problem continues, it could be caused by a clogged printer head. The solution to this is easy but can be a bit tedious. Most inkjet printers include a utility for cleaning the print heads. Finding it is usually the only challenging part.
Click File on the menu and then Print. This will open the Printer Dialog box. From this point on, the way you access your printer settings is going to vary quite a bit depending on the manufacturer and software.
In the dialog box, next to the printer name, you should see the Properties button. Click it to open the printer's properties window. Look for a button or link to clean the print heads. Most printers will have this option under a tab labeled Utilities, Advanced, Options, or something similar. Once you find the print head cleaning option, click it.
From there, follow the on screen instructions. Keep in mind that you may have to run this utility a few times to get things back to normal. Unfortunately, this procedure does use up quite a bit of ink so you may be using that extra cartridge that you purchased.
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Websites of Interest:
Online Typing Test
How well do you type? Take a test online.
http://www.typingtest.com/
Pop History
Culture, history and stories from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
http://www.pophistorynow.com/
Monterey Bay
From National Geographic, this site provides a virtual dive to the bottom of Monterey Bay.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/monterey/
Name that Movie
Listen to the audio clip and see if you can pick the movie that it’s from.
http://www.coolquiz.com/quizzes/moviesounds/ |
