Computer and Web Articles

The WorldMapper site contains three hundred and sixty-six maps all pertaining to fascinating, timely subjects. See how the world’s population growth has changed over time as well as how it’s projected to change in the future, look up maps on health or disease, compare communication or poverty across multiple countries.

Start seeing information in a new way by visiting WorldMapper’s homepage at www.worldmapper.org. Or, hop over to their main index page, which lists all map subjects here: http://tinyurl.com/2bhkda.

Question: I was wondering if you knew of a way I could send text messages to my friends when I’m on my computer? I figured there had to be a way to do it but I haven’t been able to figure it out. Can you help? (And I would prefer the cost to be free.)

Answer: I can help. The solution is www.sendafreesms.com – free, spam-free text messaging direct from your computer.

A few things to keep in mind when using this service:

1. You must know the carrier of your friend’s cell phone in order to successfully send a message.
2. Don’t forget to enter in the phone number as numbers only (no dashes, spaces, etc.)
3. Prior to sending your message, you’ll be asked to enter a pin number. You can find this pin number at the top of the form (the pin number changes from day to day).
4. If you submit your information and it goes through successfully, you’ll see a “Message Sent” confirmation. If you don’t see this confirmation, it means there was an error in one of the fields you filled out, so try again.

By default, clicking on any of Microsoft Word’s menu items at the top left of your screen won’t reveal the associated pull-down menus in full.  Instead, you’re shown abbreviated menus. And of course, the feature you’re looking for usually isn’t visible, meaning you’re forced to then click again at the bottom of the pull-down menu (or sit there and wait several seconds) just to see the full, complete menu.  How annoying!

So, let’s tell Word that we want the full pull-down menus to immediately appear when we click the menu items, shall we?

First, click Tools at the top of your screen, then click Customize. Now click the Options tab. Last, make sure that the “Always show full menus” checkbox has a check in it and click Close.  All done!

InPics may not be one of the prettiest websites you visit during your explorations across the web, but what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in utility.

The InPics website offers free, helpful, easy to understand tutorials on common computer subjects such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint, etc.), HTML and CSS, and MySQL. The tutorials’ creators firmly believe that the simpler the content presentation, the better the comprehension; thus, all the tutorials are visual and based on pictures instead of words.

Additionally, whereas most learning aids, instructional booklets, and tutorials focus on product/program features, the tutorials found at the InPics website focus instead on the common tasks that people wish to accomplish.

So grab a cup of tea, visit www.InPics.net, and say goodbye to those excuses explaining why you’ve just never been able to learn Word (or Excel …. or Access …. or PowerPoint ….).

1. www.sumopaint.com - “Release your inner artist” with this free online painting software. Visit the site, open SumoPaint now, and start creating! Use various brushes, ink styles, layers, and stamps to paint your very own digital masterpiece.
2. www.veodia.com – Vedodia is an online service developed for IT and business professionals, trainers, and educators that enables users to easily and quickly record, upload, and share high-quality videos.
3. www.storytlr.com – A new online way of sharing your life, this site allows you to share your life’s stories, experiences, and discoveries in a unique and compelling manner.
4. www.failblog.org – A regularly-updated blog showcasing some of the world’s funnier failures. Fail Blog is sure to be enjoyed by the same people who love watching funny You Tube videos, reading Fark postings, and skimming through crazy pictures on Break.com.
5. http://tinyurl.com/adtdor – There are greener alternatives to your sticky notes and Post-Its, you know. Have a look.

1. http://tinyurl.com/9vod3g – This entertaining video clip gives “extreme sport” a new meaning. I think it’s time to start this up here in Summit County.
2. www.faststone.org/FSCaptureDetail.htm – This handy screen capture tool lets you easily “capture and annotate anything on the screen including windows, objects, menus, full screen, rectangular/freehand regions and even scrolling windows/web pages.” Save your captures as jpgs, pdfs, gifs, bmps, etc. A $19.95 one-time purchase gives you a lifetime license and a full-featured download free of adware and spyware.
3. www.pinkertondesign.com - Cute, superbly-designed paper goods for sale, including beautiful greeting cards, stylish boxed notes, and darling invitations. Wholesale purchasing is even available for interested retailers.
4. http://tinyurl.com/36ydo7 – A blog post sharing eighteen tips for making better presentations. Tips include the 10-20-30 rules, the 20-20 rule, not apologizing (but knowing when to apologize) projecting, and showing up early.
5. www.tripit.com – A new online way to organize and share your travel plans in just three steps. One, email your plans to tripit.com. Two, let tripit.com create a master travel itinerary for your. Three, easily access your itineraries and share them with others.

If you’ve used a PC for any length of time, chances are you’ve seen one of Windows many oh-so-fun error messages that read something like “SYSTEM ERROR. CODE: 32”. And chances are that you had absolutely no idea what caused the system error, let alone what the meaning behind the code number displayed in the alert box was all about.

“Error Messages for Windows” is a free little program you may download and install onto your PC that does nothing other than provide you with specific information about Microsoft Windows System Error messages. This tool is especially useful for people who do not have continuous internet access (and therefore can’t simply hop online and conduct a quick Google search when an error pops up).

If you’re like most computer users, your keyboard’s “End” key probably doesn’t receive much attention. Here’s a use for that End key that, if you’ll keep it in mind, just might make the poor fellow feel a tad less neglected.

When searching for website contact information such as general email addresses or phone numbers, many people habitually scroll straight to the bottom of a website to look in the footer text. Sometimes web pages are long. Sometimes web pages are very long. Tapping your keyboard’s End key moves you to the bottom of just about any webpage out there in a split second – no need to even reach for your mouse.