Find a picture on the Net you like? Make it your Wallpaper by right-clicking on it and choose “Set as background.” Make sure you have permission from the image creator, first, though!
Archive for November, 2010
Internet Tip: Image Wallpapers
Monday, November 22nd, 2010Windows Tip: Select All
Monday, November 22nd, 2010The fastest way to select a large number of documents is to hit Ctrl-A (selecting them all) and then holding down the CTRL key while you deselect the ones you don’t want.
Online Diversion: Conquer Antarctica
Sunday, November 21st, 2010You can put a penguin in any situation and they are still cute, including a game of global domination. The object of Conquer Antarctica should be obvious. How you do that is the fun part.
Your penguin has a little bazooka, allowing you to shoot snowballs at the enemy birds. By choosing the correct trajectory and speed, you can knock the enemy off of their ice bergs. This game is perfect for kids. No blood or violence, just penguins having a snowball fight. Of course, I’m not sure what the “grenade” option does yet….Enjoy!
Site of the Week: Simple Wikipedia
Sunday, November 21st, 2010Wikipedia is one of the most comprehensive information archives on the planet. However, some of the articles can get very technical – so much so that many students have stopped using it because of the complexity.
Well, another version of this online tome of knowledge exists: the Simple English Wikipedia. This site aims to provide the same breadth of knowledge, just explained a little easier. For instance, a discussion of “pine trees” does not use the phrase “taxonomy, nomenclature, and codification” even once! Enjoy!
Are Your Images Legit?
Saturday, November 20th, 2010Do the images on your website belong to you? A large stock photography site, Getty Images, has started going after websites that contain their images without licenses. The fines range from $500 to $2500.
Getty is finding these images using a specialized search engine that compares images found online with those in its database. The technology is still relatively new, but if you want to see if anyone else is copying your images, check out Tin Eye, BYO Image Search Lab, and Gazopa.
These sites have indexed millions of images found on the Internet and generated digital fingerprint IDs for all of them. When you enter a URL or upload a photo, these sites search through those fingerprints and give you a listing of “similar” pictures.
I’ve used these sites to locate other websites using my pictures without my permission.
Keyboard Shortcuts You Must Know
Saturday, November 20th, 2010Computer mice are great…until they stop working. Have you ever been working in Windows and had your mouse die? How did you save your document and reboot?
What most people don’t realize is that Microsoft has created a keyboard-equivalent to everything you currently use a mouse for. Here are my favorites:
- CTRL+C (Copy)
- CTRL+X (Cut)
- CTRL+V (Paste)
- CTRL+Z (Undo)
- SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
- CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
- CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
- F2 key (Rename the selected item)
- CTRL+A (Select all)
- ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
- ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
- SHIFT+F10 (same as right-clicking on an item)
- CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
- F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
- F5 key (Update the active window or refresh a web page)
- BACKSPACE (same as hitting the “Back” button in your browser)
- SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevents the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
Microsoft Excel Tip: Select Cells
Friday, November 19th, 2010Select multiple, non-contiguous cells by holding down the Ctrl key while you click! Select a range of cells by holding down the Shift key while clicking. Works in Word, Access, and PowerPoint!
Microsoft Word Tip: Grab It
Friday, November 19th, 2010Above the vertical scroll bar (right above the up button), you will see a small rectangle. Grab it and drag it down to open “another” window in the same document. Excellent for comparing two sections in the same file!
Internet Tip: Map Address
Thursday, November 18th, 2010In Outlook, open a person’s contact record, pull down the Actions menu, and choose “Display Map of Address.” Cool!
Windows Tip: Time Saver
Thursday, November 18th, 2010You can print most documents without opening them by right-clicking on their icon and choosing “Print.” Quite a time-saver!
