Welcome
to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, June 14, 2009
In this Issue:
Special Feature: The Effects of
Spyware
Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most
Important Rules of Email Etiquette:
23. How to Put That in Writing
Special Feature: Downloading and
Installing New Fonts
This
Week's Topic: Speed Up a Slow
Computer – Detect and Repair Disk Errors
Websites of Interest: Flag Day; The
Nourishing Gourmet; Chess; Top Toys for Kids; Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online: 10.
Look for Free Printable Coupons
**************************************************************
Special Feature: The Effects
of Spyware
by Peter May of How Stuff Works
http://www.howstuffworks.com
In
its most benign form, spyware can gather data on your Web surfing habits and
serve up ads for specific products or services. It can also turn your computer
into a zombie system, sending spam e-mail messages to your contacts and far
beyond. Your system can also be used to store data,
such as e-mail lists, personal information or illegal images. Some spyware
programs are designed to capture every keystroke and
mouse click, allowing hackers to follow you around the Web in real time, as you
log in to your bank account or other important sites.
PandaLabs recently conducted a research study on
identity theft spyware. The report contained some startling statistics:
* Of the 67 million devices PandaLabs scanned in 2008, more than 10 million had some
form of spyware designed to steal personal data. Only 35 percent of all devices
had updated antivirus tools installed.
* In the United States,
personal data retrieval spyware affected more than three million people in
2008.
* Infections grew by an
incredible 800 percent in the second half of 2008, compared to the first half.
* Based on trends over a
period of 14 months, PandaLabs estimates the infection
rate of ID theft spyware will increase 339 percent per month in 2009.
Spyware
is against the law -- sort of. The federal government and many states have
passed laws against installing software on a computer without the user's
consent and using spyware to gather personal information, such as passwords.
The problem is that many users actually consent to spyware being included when
they download and install free utilities or games. As mentioned earlier, when
you click on the Next button to install software, stating you have read and
understand the end user license agreement, you are allowing spyware to go to
work on your computer.
In
our next newsletter:
Avoiding
Spyware
Please
visit our newsletter archives for previous articles in this series.
How
to Avoid Spyware
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/053109.html
Malware
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/060709.html
**************************************************************
Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most
Important Rules of Email Etiquette:
23. How to Put That in Writing
This
article is part of our ongoing series on Email Etiquette. With the help of Heinz Tschabitscher from about.com, we are taking an in depth
look at email etiquette. To read
previous editions of this series, please visit our newsletter archives:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/etiquette.html
The
rules of email etiquette are not rules as much as they are guidelines that help
avoid mistakes (like offending someone when you don't
mean to) and misunderstandings (like being offended when you're not meant to).
These
core rules of email etiquette help us communicate better via email.
How
to Put That in Writing
Almost
everything we read carries the hidden message: writing is radically different
from talking.
The
newspaper article is written in a language that
differs radically from the way the reporter told the story to his son at the
dinner table. The professor used sentences in his book he'd
never say aloud in a classroom.
And written communication does indeed differ
from oral communication. Writing often helps the thinking and makes things
clearer. So, starting to write is no reason to begin
using a very roundabout way of saying things.
And if you feel the urge to
"translate" what you're thinking to proper written language, if you
wonder "how to put that in writing", try, simply, writing it down the
way you were thinking it.
Imagine
a dear friend, eager, willing and able to help you. Ask them: "How do I
put that in writing?" Now explain what you're
trying to say. If you write down your explanation word for word, chances are
that will be all the help you need.
To
read previous editions of this series, please visit our newsletter archives:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/etiquette.html
**************************************************************
Special Feature: Downloading and
Installing New Fonts
A
Font is a complete set of characters in a specific face, style, and size. Each
set includes upper- and lowercase letters, numerals, and punctuation marks.
Font
Terminology
Font
- a complete set of characters in a specific face, style, and size. Each set
includes upper- and lowercase letters, numerals, and punctuation marks.
Font
Face - also called typeface or font. The design of the
character: Serif, Sans Serif, or Script.
Serif
- a font face with lines, curves, or edges extending from the ends of the
letter. Times New Roman is an example of a Serif font face.
Sans
Serif - a font face with straight-edged characters. Arial is an example of a
Sans Serif font face.
Script
- a font face that looks like handwriting. Coronet is an example of a Script
font face.
Font Style - the slant and weight of letters, such as
bold and italic.
Font
Size - the height of the font, measured in points. There are 72 points to an
inch, therefore, an 18 point font is ¼ of an
inch high (these measurements are approximate, based on printer capabilities).
Your
computer comes with standard fonts.
When you install a printer, more fonts are added
to the computer. You can take a look at the fonts that are already installed on your
computer.
Previewing
Your Computer’s Fonts
Fonts
are typefaces used in your Windows programs. Many applications install a
variety of fonts on your computer and once installed, they are usually
available in all Windows application. You can preview your fonts without having
to format text to see how they look.
Here's how:
Click
the Start button and open Control Panel
Double-click
on the Fonts icon (if you do not see the Fonts icon, click Classic View on the
left side of the window)
In
the window listing all fonts, double-click on any font icon
You
will see the selected font and how it looks in various sizes
Click
the Print button to print a sample page of that font
HINT:
To print samples of several fonts at the same time, hold down the CTRL key
while single clicking the font icons you want to print. When you have selected
all the fonts you want to print, click the Print button (or, right click and
then click Print).
You
can add new fonts to the ones already on your computer. There are many
websites that offer free fonts in all different kinds of styles. Several sites are
listed at the end of this article.
When
you find a font that you like, follow the site’s instruction for
downloading and then install it on your computer. Make sure you download the font into
your My Documents folder – then it will be easy to find when you need it.
Installing
New Fonts in Windows Vista
Click
Start and open Control Panel. Open
Appearance and Personalization and then open Fonts. This will open the Fonts folder. Right click on a blank spot and then
click Add Fonts (or Install New Fonts, depending on your version of Vista).
This
will open the Add Fonts window. In
the Folders section, find the folder that contains the fonts you have
downloaded. Hint: if you downloaded the fonts into your
Documents folder or onto the Desktop, double click the Users folder, and then
double click your user name. You
will then see the Documents and Desktop folders.
Click
on the folder that contains the fonts.
In the List of fonts sections above, you will now see the fonts that you
have downloaded. Click to select
the font you would like to install.
You will see a preview of the font right below the List of fonts window.
When
you are ready to install the font, click the Install button to the right. Vista will ask permission to continue;
click the Continue button. The font
will then be installed. If you have more than one font, select
the next font and click the Install button.
When
you are finished, click the Close button and close any open Control Panel
windows.
The
fonts will be installed and ready to use.
Install
fonts in Windows XP
Click
on the Start button and open Control Panel.
Double-click
the Fonts icon in the Control Panel. (If you are using Windows XP, click Switch
to Classic View on the left; you will then see the Fonts icon.)
You
will now see a window that lists all of the fonts that are
already installed on your computer. To install the font you just
downloaded, click File on the menu bar and then Install
New Font.
From
there you just select where you downloaded the font, choose the ones that you
want to install, and click OK.
Zipped
Fonts
Some
font set are zipped. After you
download the file, you will see a zipped folder. This is compressed
in order to make the download faster.
To unzip, right click on the folder and then left click Extract.
You
will now be able to use your new fonts in any program that allows you to work
with different fonts.
Free
Font Websites:
http://www.fontfreak.com
http://www.fontfoundry.com
http://www.1001freefonts.com
**************************************************************
Today's Topic: Speed Up a
Slow Computer – Detect and Repair Disk Errors
As
your Windows computer ages, its speed can decrease. You will notice an increase in response
time when you give commands to open programs, files or folders, use the
Internet and other tasks. There are several things you can do to speed up your computer.
In
our ongoing series, Speed Up a Slow Computer, we will
present articles discussing some of the steps you can take to speed up your
slow computer.
Important: Before making any changes to your
system, always create a Restore Point.
If anything goes wrong with the changes you make, this will allow you to
revert back to a point when the computer was operating
correctly. Please visit our
Newsletter Archives to read our article, All About
Restore Points:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040509.html
Detect
and Repair Disk Errors
As
a computer gets older, parts of the hard drive can begin to develop
errors. Disk usage and improper
shutdowns can cause what are called bad sectors. This kind of error takes up disk space
and can lead to slow performance.
Windows
includes a tool called CheckDisk or Disk Checker (depending
on your version of Windows). It searches the disk for errors and bad sectors
and attempts to fix them. To use CheckDisk, follow these steps:
Open
My Computer or Computer. My
Computer is found in Windows XP and Computer is found
in Vista. Look for the icon on the
desktop or in the item in the Start menu.
Right
click on the C: drive. Click
Properties in the resulting menu.
Click
the Tools tab at the top.
Click
the Check Now button.
Click
to select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors
check box and click Start.
This
will check the hard disk and, if possible, repair any errors it finds.
This
concludes our series Speed Up a Slow Computer. To review the previous articles, please
visit our Newsletter Archives:
Speed
Up a Slow Computer - Clean the Desktop
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040509.html
Speed
Up a Slow Computer - Uninstall Unused Programs
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/041909.html
Speed
Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/042609.html
Speed
Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start
Programs - MSCONFIG
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/050309.html
Speed
Up a Slow Computer – Disable Unnecessary Windows Services
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/051009.html
Speed
Up a Slow Computer – Defrag
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/051709.html
Speed
Up a Slow Computer – Disable Indexing Services
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/053109.html
Speed
Up a Slow Computer – Optimize Display Settings
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/060709.html
**************************************************************
Websites of Interest:
Flag
Day
June
14 is Flag Day. Read about the
history and celebration of this observance at these websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Day_in_the_United_States
http://www.usflag.org/history/flagday.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun14.html
The
Nourishing Gourmet
This
website/blog is devoted to providing information about food that is good for
you. Take a look
at some of the recipes.
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/
Chess
Do
you like to play chess? At this site, you will find rules, lessons, tips on
strategy and much more. If you join
(it is free), you can play games online.
http://www.chess.com/
Top
Toys for Kids
Visit
this site before buying that present!
You can get reviews, opinions from kids and find the best deals here.
http://www.top-toys-kids.com/
Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online:
10. Look for Free Printable
Coupons
From
Wendy Boswell of about.com
No
matter what your financial situation may be, it is always a good idea to learn
new ways to save money. Find out how you can utilize the power of the Web to
save money, find good deals, and improve your financial status.
10. Look for Free Printable Coupons
Here
is a list of the best sites to find free printable coupons for both online and
offline stores - you will be able to save some serious money and find some
great deals.
RetailMeNot. You can find free printable coupons for
more than 20,000 stores here; anything from Amazon to Victoria's Secret. Note:
these particular codes are for online stores only.
http://www.retailmenot.com/
FreeShipping.org
offers free shipping coupons and free printable coupons to over 800 stores at
the time of this writing, anything from JC Penney to Toys R Us to Old Navy.
http://www.freeshipping.org/
Find
free printable coupons at GoToDaily not only for your
favorite stores, but also for books and magazines, hotels, electronics, and a
lot more.
http://www.gotodaily.com/
CouponMom is all about saving money at the grocery
store. Registration is free, and you get lots of tips
on how to cash in on food bargains.
http://www.couponmom.com
CurrentCodes is a little bit different from the rest of
the sites on this list; they don't offer free
printable coupons, but they do offer discounts that you can use at the time of
checkout online.
http://www.currentcodes.com/
Not
only can you find free printable coupons at FatWallet,
you can also register with the FatWallet community
and actually earn money as you shop.
http://www.fatwallet.com/
CouponCabin is a well-organized, simple site that offers
free printable coupons from a variety of stores; anything from grocery coupons
to free shipping offers can also be found here.
http://www.couponcabin.com/
Dealighted is a deal aggregator; they filter good deals
from other sites mentioned on this list, and feature the most popular on the front
page of the site.
http://www.dealighted.com/
SlickDeals offers free printable coupons from over 800
stores; they also keep track of the best computer and technology deals on the
Web.
http://slickdeals.net/
Tons of great free printable coupons here! DealCatcher
also gives you the Daily Hot Deal, as well as a frequently updated list of the
most popular coupons.
http://www.dealcatcher.com/
The
Bargainist offers tons of great deals you can take
advantage of both on the Web and off, as well as free printable coupons to many
of your favorite stores.
http://www.bargainist.com/
Published by Brad Wilson. Brad's Deals finds
great shopping deals and free printable coupons.
http://bradsdeals.com/
Dealhack focuses mainly on technology products,
although you can find great deals for other retail items here as well.
http://www.dealhack.com/
Coupon
Mountain is a great source for free printable coupons - coupons for over 2000
stores at the time of this writing.
http://www.couponmountain.com/
Tip: Some websites may require you to
register to use their features.
When you register at websites, you may be signing up for spam (junk
mail) if the recipient sells email addresses to spammers. There is a way to avoid this and still
be able to take advantage of the great things that site has to offer. Read our article, Minimizing Spam
– Registering Online, at our newsletter archives, to learn how use
websites without getting junk mail.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/111608.html
Next
Edition: Check Out RetailMeNot
Please
visit our newsletter archives for previous articles in our Fifteen Ways to Save
Money Online series:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/savemoney.html