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Welcome to the Computers for Seniors Website
 

Websites               Bits and Bytes              Computer Tips
Our site's feature articles, websites and tips are normally updated every Monday. If you see tips or other content you want to print or save, plan on doing so before next Monday
 

Feature Article

All About Wikis   You have heard about Wikipedia and the huge amount of information it includes. Do you know what a wiki is? Did you know that wiki is a Hawaiian word usually connected to taxis and airport shuttles? Did you know there are many wikis? We take a look at some of the ones you may not be familiar with. Read more.

 

Previous Feature Article

 

Digital Photo Group - The next meeting will be held on Thursday, August 14th at Media Center beneath the Wilkens Library.. All meetings will start at 1:30pm The theme for the August meeting is Flowers Participants may view the photos submitted for the meeting by clicking here. If you would like to comment on them online, visit the Digital Photo Blog link on the left of this page

 

With the introduction of Office 2007 we will now identify articles and tips that specifically refer to the latest iteration of MS Office with the Icon to the left. All other tips and items can/may apply to older MS Office software.

 

Now that Vista is being distributed on all new computers we will identify items referring to this Operating System with the logo on the left.

 

   

You can join or renew membership online. The  new  dues structure was effective January 1, 2008. There is also a new Lifetime Membership which is also available.  Click here for the details.

As a member you can help out by volunteering to be an aide in one of our classes. Become an active member, not a passive one. 

           

 
                             Web Sites

A Neat  FREE Spellchecker Many programs have spellcheckers like MS Word or Outlook Express but others do not. This is a small utility that allows you to easily and quickly check and correct the spelling in any Windows application. tinySpell can watch your typing on the fly and alert you whenever it detects a misspelled word. It can also check the spelling of text that you copy to the clipboard. tinySpell installs itself in the system tray for easy access. It comes with an American-English dictionary containing more than 110,000 words. Get it here.

ZIPskinny Enter your zip code and see your town's census data and comparisons with other zip codes. Find about your town here.

Control Cookies in Internet Explorer This is a small utility that displays the details of all cookies that Internet Explorer stores on your computer. You can find a cookie in the list by specifying the name of the Web site, select and delete the unwanted cookies and much more. Get IECookiesView. It's FREE.

Remove Disabled Items from MSConfig! Microsoft's MSConfig would be a perfect startup manager, if it allowed you not only to disable items, but to delete them forever. Unfortunately it does not do that. This is where MSConfig Cleanup comes in! It scans the startup configurations and allows you to remove any item that has been previously disabled via MSConfig. It is a FREE program.

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                        Bits and Bytes

Political Satire The folks at JibJab have a history of producing humorous outlooks about the political landscape and here is the latest one centered on the presidential campaign..

What Are Runtime Errors You may have encountered  runtime errors but do you know what they are? Runtime errors are very common. A runtime error is an error that occurs during the execution of a program. Runtime errors go along with the "bug" errors you may sometimes see as well. The error is there to tell you that your system has found certain bugs in the program you're using. It's also there to indicate some problems the creators of the program anticipated on, but couldn't fix. There are various runtime error numbers, each referring to a different problem, and they can occur in various programs, including Outlook Express and Internet Explorer. If you are hit with a runtime error, look at the assigned number and do a Web search on it. Chances are, you will be able to find a quick fix for it. A common example of a runtime error is running out of memory. That could easily cause the error to show up on your computer. Runtime errors are fairly easy to recover from and they are nothing like a system crash.

The Coreflood Gang Call them the Coreflood Gang. A ring of cyber bank robbers from southern Russia has quietly perfected a way to get a beachhead inside company networks. Once inside, it infects every PC within reach with a custom-made data-stealing program called Coreflood. The goal: go rip off bank accounts online. Over the past 16 months, the Coreflood Gang has infected swaths of PCs inside thousands of companies, hospitals, universities and government agencies, says SecureWorks  who has tracked and documented the spread of Coreflood over that period. Coreflood is part of a class of malicious software, called banking trojans, designed primarily to help crooks break into bank accounts online. The number of banking trojans detected on the Internet in June topped 24,800, up from 3,342 at the start of 2006, Dozens of gangs specialize in banking trojans. They have it much easier than phishing scammers, who must lure victims into typing sensitive data on spoofed Web pages. The Coreflood Gang is among the most sophisticated. Gang members cull the stolen data for log-ons and account statements, especially bank accounts online with high balances. Next, they log into the accounts and make online cash transfers into "drop" accounts they control

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                      Computers Tips

MS Office - Inserting Pictures Have you ever been frustrated while trying to insert a picture from a file especially when the picture is identified like img_2741.jpg? It would be nice to see the picture before you insert it, Here's a quick way to see what you've got before you put it into your file. You need to go to the Insert menu, Picture submenu, From File choice. (In Office 2007, you're looking for the Insert ribbon, Picture button). When the Insert Picture window opens, you need to change the way you view your files You're looking for the Views button. In older versions of MS Office, the button looks like the left image.

 In Office 2007  you are looking for the right side image.

If you repeatedly click the button, you'll find that the window rotates through the various ways it can display your files. If you click on the down arrow that's connected to the button, you'll see a list of viewing choices. Choose a different view option, such as Preview or Icons in 2007, to see the actual picture.

Windows - Eliminate Printing of Headers & Footers When you are printing web pages do you get annoyed when all the headers and footers get printed (especially if they show up as the only item on the page). You can eliminate those items when printing in Firefox and Internet Explorer by taking a few quick steps. Click the File menu, Page Setup. Find the "Headers & Footers" area and remove all the gibberish in the respective fields. Hit OK and there you have it.

In Firefox you go to File/Page Setup then click the Margins & Header/Footer tab. No secret codes needed here like in IE. Just use the drop-down menus to select what information you want; left, center, or right.

Tips for Using a  Webcam With the Internet catching the fancy of millions and video conferencing becoming a norm, it’s now more important than ever to make the most out of your Webcam. And below is a simple guide you can follow that will help you do just that.

Lighting - Lighting is everything. Using a Webcam is really nothing more than photography. It just uses moving images instead. However, the rules of photography apply to it as well, with a major one being the lighting. If the subject is properly illuminated, the image will appear brighter, sharper and clearer. In fact, if you get the lighting right, you’re already halfway done! When you're using your Webcam, it’s important to place a table lamp, architect lamp or even a tube light in front of you, but behind the computer monitor. That way, the light will fall on your face and your Webcam pictures will be much clearer. Now, it's even better if there’s a light falling on your face. To accomplish that, you need to either bounce the light off the wall before it reaches you or cover the bulb with white transparent paper (typing paper). Essentially, indirect lighting is what you should aim for, because direct lighting can result in over-exposed images.

Background - It's important to pay extra attention to the background light. If it’s brighter than the foreground light, you can do one of two things. First, you can make your foreground light brighter by switching on an additional light source or by switching off the background light. If that's not possible, it’s best to get a collapsible background screen. Go for 5x6 or 5x7, because Webcams have super wide-angle lenses and they see the edges of any backdrop as smaller than 5x6.

Placement is Key - When working with a Webcam, it's very important to place it in the proper location. It's best to place it at your eye level and preferably in front of you to convey your face. Doing that gives off a professional look and feel of you, particularly if you're in a business conference setting. Therefore, it’s best to place the Webcam on top of your computer monitor. Also, to avoid looking bulbous, don’t get too close to the Webcam.

Monitor Settings - When you're using a Webcam, it’s best to lower the brightness and contrast of your monitor to the lowest digit possible. That helps to avoid monitor glare on your face and on the Webcam itself. Also, it’s best to wear a white shirt so that you have a good white balance and color exposure. If you have an LCD monitor, remember that it emits polarized light. To get rid of an eyeglass reflection, you can place a polarizing filter in front of your Webcam.

Wait before You Record - When working with a Webcam, it's very important to place it in the proper location. It's best to place it at your eye level and preferably in front of you to convey your face. Doing that gives off a professional look and feel of you, particularly if you're in a business conference setting. Therefore, it’s best to place the Webcam on top of your computer monitor. Also, to avoid looking bulbous, don’t get too close to the Webcam. If you want to record or stream images live, give yourself a couple seconds before you begin recording. Also, don’t move during the recording session, because it takes time for the Webcam to set the focus and make the picture more crisp. It’s also very likely that if you put the most important information in during the first few seconds, some of it might get garbled. Therefore, after you press Play, wait a few seconds before you start moving, talking, singing, dancing or whatever you have in mind.

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This page was last updated on Tuesday, July 22, 2008