Computer Kindergarten November 8 2009

Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, November 8, 2009

Wednesday is Veteran’s Day. To all the Vets, thank you. We appreciate all that you have done.

In this Issue:
Special Feature: Sports Scams
Featured Computer Term: Skins
This Week's Topic: Turn Off Windows Sounds
Question: The Windows Key
Websites of Interest: Veteran’s Day; Cheapism; Typing Lessons-Online; Classic Magic

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Special Feature: Sports Scams

The following is from scambusters.org

Since probably more than half the population has an interest in sports, it is no surprise that various types of sports scams are equally widespread.

In fact, the growth of the Internet has contributed significantly to the increasing incidence of one of the most common variations -- the sports betting scam.

This, in turn, is part of a larger category of sports scams we might call, for want of a better term, sports money scams. These encompass everything relating to claims you can make easy money from sports games and activities.

Let's take a closer look at some of the scams out there.

Bogus Ticket Sales

There are two main types of this sports scam -- both exploiting scarcity of tickets, particularly for leading clubs and special events:

* Non-existent tickets. On a giant scale, the worst example of this was the Beijing Olympics in 2008 where thousands of enthusiasts lost millions of dollars applying for tickets on bogus websites. No doubt we'll see the same for the 2012 Olympics in London. But on a much smaller scale, this sports scam happens all the time with people offering to sell tickets, sometimes costly season tickets, which they simply don't own. In one recent incident, a well-known basketball player was charged after taking advance money for tickets he didn't have.

* Forged tickets, often on sale outside sports grounds or traded on online auction and classified advertisement sites. Victims usually don't find out they've been conned until they try to get into the sports venue.

Action: In both cases, the only safeguard against this sports scam is always to buy your tickets from official sources.

Bogus equipment and memorabilia

From designer label knock-offs to forged autographs, this is another type of sports scam that has seen phenomenal growth in the era of the Internet.

Recent examples have included the sale of cheap Chinese-made golf clubs badged with one of the top brand names in the business, and websites offering "official" club football jerseys that turn out to be not only "not official," but don't actually exist.

Bogus sports collector cards and photographs bearing forged signatures are among hundreds of types of fraudulent memorabilia now changing hands on the Internet.

In one famous sports scam case, crooks conned collectors out of more than $100 million for photos with forged signatures, before they were busted by the FBI in the year 2000.

Sadly, even Certificates of Authenticity that accompany some memorabilia are as fraudulent as the products they are supposed to vouch for.

Action: You cannot buy designer labels for the price of fakes -- so do not think you can. And if you're a memorabilia fan, make sure you know your stuff -- and the dealer -- before spending good money to add to your collection. If a seller cannot provide verifiable provenance of authenticity, don't buy without understanding the risks.

Nigerian and Lottery Sports Scams

Well, no scam collection would be complete without a few Nigerian and lottery scams. And that's certainly the case here.

Lottery scams usually take the form of an email message (but sometimes notifications also arrive by mail) saying you have won money in a draw connected to a big sporting event, like the Olympic Games.

Recent lottery sports scams have included the names of big companies involved in sports event sponsorship, in an effort to increase their credibility.

Nigerian-type sports scams involve requests to sporting goods manufacturers to supply equipment which is never paid for, and advance payment scams using bogus checks to book sporting venues, for which the victim is then asked to remit part of the payment to a third party.

These are just a handful of the most popular of the many sports scams currently doing the rounds. For more sports scams, please visit the scambusters website:

http://www.scambusters.org/sportsscam.html

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Featured Computer Term: Skins

Question: There are a couple of programs on my computer that ask if I want to change the skin. What does this mean?

Answer:

Skins are graphic files that are used to change the appearance of the program or window. Sometimes they are called themes or wallpaper.

For example, you can change the theme of your computer. Right click on a blank spot on the desktop and click Properties (Windows XP) or Personalize (Windows Vista). Once the window opens, you can change the background, font sizes, colors and more.

Every program has a different way to change the skin or theme. Look in the menu for items such as Options, Preferences or Properties.

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: Turn Off Windows Sounds

Question: I want to disable all the sounds that make noise when I click on something. Can I turn off all the annoying Windows sounds, without turning off the music that plays through my computer?

Answer:

Yes, you can turn off all the Windows clicks, pings and pongs and still use your computer to listen to your CDs or Internet radio. Here are the steps:

Windows XP:

Click on Start and open Control Panel.

Look on the left side of the Control Panel window. IF you see Switch to Category View, click on it. If not, skip to the next step.

Click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices.

Under Pick a task, click Change the sound scheme.

Click the Sound tab at the top of the Sounds and Audio Devices Properties window.

Look at the drop down box under Sound scheme. It will either be blank or say Windows Default. Click the arrow to the right. A list will display, click No Sounds. Click the OK button.

You may see this warning message: Your previous scheme will be lost because you did not save it. Because you are turning off the default scheme, you do not need to save it. Windows will save it for you. Click the No button.

If you want to turn the sounds on again, follow the above steps. When you get to the Sounds and Audio Devices Properties window, click the Sound tab. Under Sound scheme, click the small down arrow to the right and then click Windows Default. Click the OK button.

Windows Vista

Click on Start and open Control Panel. Click Control Panel Home on the left side of the window.

Click Hardware and Sound.

Under Sound, click Change system sounds.

The Sound window will open. Click the Sounds tab at the top.

Look at the drop down box under Sound scheme. It will either be blank or say Windows Default. Click the arrow to the right. A list will display, click No Sounds. Click the OK button.

If you want to turn the sounds on again, follow the above steps. When you get to the Sound window, click the Sound tab. Under Sound scheme, click the small down arrow to the right and then click Windows Default. Click the OK button.

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Question: The Windows Key

On my keyboard, there is a button with a little picture on it that looks just like the Windows logo. What is this button for?

Answer:

That is the Windows key, which will perform many different tasks for you when used alone or in combination with other keys. Below is a list of some of the things it will do; these are called keyboard shortcuts.

Pressing and holding down the Windows Logo key while typing, for example, the letter E is shown below as Windows key+E.

Windows key. Opens the Start menu

Windows key+E Opens Windows Explorer

Windows key+F Finds a file or folder

Windows key+L Logs on and off Windows

Windows key+M Minimizes all windows

Windows key+Shift M Undoes the minimize all action

Windows key+R Displays the Run dialog box

Windows key+F1 Displays Windows help

Windows key+Tab Activates open programs in order

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Websites of Interest:

Veteran’s Day

Wednesday is Veteran’s Day. Learn the history of the day and the event at these websites: http://www.patriotism.org/veterans_day

http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day

Cheapism

Find product reviews and budget buys on just about any item you might need or want.

http://www.cheapism.com/

Typing Lessons-Online

This website will help you improve your typing with free typing lessons and exercises.

http://www.typingtutor-online.com/EN/Aspx/Start.aspx

Classic Magic

Learn How To Do Hundreds of Magic Tricks - Free!

http://www.classicmagic.net/