Computer Info – January 15, 2003

 

This Week’s Meeting

            Let’s have discussion time.  Bring your questions and answers.  We will also demonstrate how to easily make a lake picture --- the ones that you see often on the internet where the bottom half of the picture shimmers like water moving.

 

Show All Menu Choices in Office Programs

            If you would always like to see ALL of the choices that are under a menu rather than wait a short time until they appear, you can make this happen.

            From the VIEW menu, choose TOOLBARS – CUSTOMIZE – OPTIONS – ALWAYS SHOW FULL MENUS.

 

Coloring Book Pages

            June mentioned a good search engine for locating coloring books pages.  Here is the web address ----

                        http://www.ivyjoy.com/search.html

 

            She also mentioned that iron-on transfers work really well for scanning to make coloring book pages.

            She does all of the printing of her coloring book pages in Word.  Just open a BLANK DOCUMENT – choose INSERT – PICTURE – FROM FILE.  Locate the picture that you would like to print.

 

Insert Slide or Re-arrange slides in PowerPoint

            When you are making a PowerPoint presentation (slide show) – sometimes you would like to add a new slide, maybe between the existing slide 4 and slide 5.  To do this, from the top menu, choose VIEW – SLIDE SORTER.  This will let you view all of your slides as thumbnails.  Click your mouse between slide 4 and slide 5 – this will place a flashing cursor (the typing cursor) between them.  Now when you select INSERT – NEW SLIDE, the new slide will be added right between slide 4 and slide 5.

            While you are in the SLIDE SORTER view, you can re-arrange your slides by left clicking on a slide and dragging it to the new location.  You will notice that you will also see the flashing cursor (typing cursor) when you are doing this.

 

Picture-It Publishing

            June mentioned that this program is very easy to learn – it is menu driven.  You can get your pictures from your scanner, your digital camera, clipart or MY COMPUTER.  When you open your pictures, they appear on the bottom as small thumbnails.

            She liked the touchup that was done with the automatically fix feature of the brightness/contrast.  Watch for the button labeled RESET – this takes your changes away and returns the picture to it’s previous condition.

            The red eye removal is one of the easiest and cleanest that we have seen.

            One of the choices for the zoom feature (located near the top righthand side) is the FIT TO SCREEN.  This comes in very handy after you have zoomed in too far.

            The program does allow you to choose to have your picture appear as a BLACK AND WHITE picture or an ANTIQUE (SEPIA) picture.

            Use the EDGE FINDER when you wish to select around a particular item in your picture.

 

Train Simulator

            This is a program from Microsoft that allows you to be the engineer on various trains – steam, electric, etc.  As June said, you find out that operating a train is more that just go and stop.  In the future, Wes will demonstrate driving the steam locomotive.

 

Bonzi Buddy

            MANY INTERNET USERS are familiar with the Bonzi Buddy software, which places an animated purple ape on a user’s computer screen that makes Web site recommendations. But Bonzi also attempts to drive traffic to its family of Web sites through aggressive banner advertisement campaigns that mimic Windows computer systems warnings. The ads are deceptive, and are designed to trick viewers into clicking through to the Bonzi Web site, generating revenue for the company.  Messages like

            MESSAGE ALERT: Your Current Connection May Be Capable of Faster Speeds.  Download InternetBoost Now.

            SECURITY ALERT: Your Computer Is Currently Broadcasting An Internet IP Address.  With This Address, Someone Can Immediately Begin Attacking Your Computer.

            A lawsuit was filed in Washington State Superior Court on Nov. 25.   This is not the first time Bonzi Software has been the subject of scrutiny. The firm has run afoul of many privacy advocates, who say the Bonzi Buddy software tracks users’ Internet travels.  According to the lawsuit, Bonzi is behind several massive Internet marketing campaigns, including one that placed 37 million banner ads during a single week in 2001.

            Those who click through a Bonzi banner ad often find they have trouble backing out of the company’s network of Web pages.

 

Another Internet Provider

Altanic.net

            http://www.atlantic.net

They charge $19.95 a month for unlimited access – 24 hour/7 day tollfree technical support  – local numbers – v.92 support.

            They started in 1994 in Gainesville, Florida as a retail computer store known as ICC Computers.  In 1995, they launched one of North Florida’s first commercial internet services.  In 1997, they changed their name to Atlantic.net. 

 

DVD Easter Eggs

            Here are three web sites where you can discover hidden Easter Eggs on your DVD movies.  Easter Eggs are extra information that is stored somewhere on the DVD – but has no direct menu to get you there.  The information could be an interview with one of the stars, an extra trailor, details on how they built something or whatever??

                        http://dvd.ign.com/eggs/s.html

                        http://dvdeastereggs.com/easter_eggs.php

                        http://dvdreview.com/html/hidden_features.shtml