Newsletter: 22
The middle mouse button:
A number of correspondents have asked me about this feature. They understand the left and right buttons but what is the middle button? Many computer mice have a scroll wheel between the two standard click buttons. This is normally used to scroll up and down a screen but it can also be pressed as a button. This produced a strange vertical rectangle with up and down arrows in place of the normal pointer. Once this is activated you can scroll the page simply by moving the mouse up and down. It is just a different way of scrolling. To revert to the normal pointer simply click the wheel again.
Windows 7:
Many of you may be considering the purchase of a new computer or have been given one for Christmas. New computers are now supplied with the latest operating system from Microsoft – Windows7. I have been using the new system for 6 months now and I have been very impressed. It takes a little bit of getting used to but it is worth the effort. The main difference between Windows7 and the previous Windows systems is the intuitive use of the Task Bar to which you can pin frequently used programs. Right click on one of these program icons and you will be presented with a list of the recent documents created by that program from which you can choose by using the left click. There are many tweaks and gadgets available on the system – too many to describe here but you will find everything you need to know about the program in my latest book, Windows7 for the Older and Wiser, due in the bookshops on 25th January.
Second hand books:
Many of my pupils have listed “reading” as one of their hobbies. Further questioning often reveals a wish to re-read a book that they last read many years ago but it is no longer in print. This is where AbeBooks comes in. Check out their website at www.abebooks.co.uk and you will find almost any book you care to mention. Prices are very reasonable even after adding the cost of post and packing. Using this site I have been able to locate books for my pupils including a History of the New Zealand Rifle Regiment, a semi-autobiography of one pupil’s father whose book has been out of print for 40 years as well as a first edition of Alice in Wonderland. The pupil decided against buying this particular book as it was priced at over £170,000!
Strictly Come Dancing:
The TV program has created a huge interest in the subject of ballroom dancing and many older people want to learn the many different dances. They could sign up for lessons at the local dance school but there are many video tutorials available on www.youtube.com . Just type in American Smooth or Argentinian Tango into the search box and pick out the tutorial videos for the dance of your choice.
Change your Home Page:
The home page is the first page to appear when you first open up your web browser program but how do you change it? The answer is simple –
1. Open the page you wish to become your home page
2. Click on the Tools option
3. Click on Internet Options
4. In the Home Page options choose Use Current
5. Click on Apply then click on OK and it’s done.
The next time you click on the Home Page icon your new page will be displayed.
PCWisdom web site:
Please feel free to browse this website at www.pcwisdom.co.uk where you will find tutorials, previous newsletters as well as an opportunity to ask me any question you like about home computing. The site also offers an opportunity to check the speed of your broadband connection. If you are lucky you should get a download speed in excess of 2 megabits per second. Unfortunately I live in a rural wilderness and I can only get 400 kilobytes per second (or 0.4 Megabits) but I can just about live with that until the Government fulfils its promise of 2 megabits for the whole country.
Picasa version 3.6:
As many of you will know by now this is one of my favourite freeware programs and it has just got even better. The latest version provides facial recognition capabilities as well as an improved red eye correction facility among many others. You can download the program from http://picasa.google.com
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