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Page 5
As stated on the preceeding page, I just got through a teaching/learning experience by giving a course on computer basics to a group of students here on Manitoulin through Cambrian College.
I have to admit that it was my first time at the front of a classroom other than years and years ago when Christian Brothers called me up to the front of the class for a demonstration of corporal punishment. It was rather refreshing not having to bend over and have a goaltenders hockey stick applied to my bottomside.
So, .......to continue on...
Buyer Beware:
The image seen here to the left is an advertising scheme started up by the big Search Engine Google.
What happens is Google offers webmasters like me a few breadcrumbs to allow Google to assign specific ads to targeted readers. This web page's index page has one, so, yes, I'm guilty too having wanted to see what it was all about.
The problem however is where these ads can be located can confuse the person new to the web. He might be surfing in a freeware website thinking he's clicking on something free and all of a sudden he has real estate agents from Costa Rica sending him mails about exclusive beachfront retirement homes now available.
The advertising sector has gotten its hands into the internet and what was originally a text information highway is quickly becoming a thruway with billboards every ten feet along the side of the road......
be careful what you click
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Why Information Highway?:
Credit goes to the scientific community for the tool you are now using to read from your computer monitor. Scientists were located in far off places and needed a way to communicate and collaborate. Soon after the government became involved for obvious military reasons and as discussed below, the military dropped out and private enterprise took over.
This
link will take you to the University of Leiden's "History of the Internet". Use the menu at the left to surf through their site.
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Adjust Your Security Settings:
What follows are several on-line tests that you can run to ensure your computer is secure:
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Something Free From Bill Gates:
On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft releases a new version of its
Malicious Software Removal Tool. (large download)
If you have Automatic Updates set in your Security Center (Start Button/Settings/Control Panel/Security Center), this tool will automatically download and run once in the background.
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Giving Your 'Puter The Boot:
We take a lot for granted and booting up your computer is one example. Under the cover of that tower a lot of things happen when you click Start/Restart. Have a look at
this to get a better understanding how we have evolved from the abacus.
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Make Your 'Puter Run Faster:
One of the things I do is visit forums where you can always find out new things. Making your 'puter run faster is often discussed and one such tutorial can be read
here.
As a newbie I can not emphasize enough that you should not attempt any of this - call in your mentor! And what follows is one response that needs to be read:
Unfortunately, I must say I'm against most of the tweaks suggested.
Most users will disable things. At first sight, everything will appear dandy. Then, three months away, some curious little error will popup. And they will never be able to relate to some tweak they applied, in a sea of tweak three months ago.
Windows is fragile and works best as is. If it ain't broken, don't fix it.
If someone experiences memroy usage problems, they should consider:
- Buying a better computer / more RAM.
- Installing only a select number of applications that do not bleed the memory.
Tweaking is dangerous if you cannot fully 100% retrace the steps you make all the way back to initial configuration. I bet most people can only do tweaks - very few can untweak them.
Finally, tweaking guides always refer to a single machine, single user, no networking, no NAT, no file or printer sharing, no gaming etc... All these will be crippled one way or another by unnecessary tweaks.
I have a few powerful machines. The weakest one, AMD 64 Athlon 3700 with 2GB RAM boots in less than 15 seconds with 45 processes at startup, all default thingies working. So I see no reason to kill the machine.
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So, as you can see, tweaking is a dangerous thing when not done by someone who knows all the consequences. This tutorial was posted here as a FYI - learn from it, but don't do it!
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Websites That Require A Logon:
I get really annoyed when I try to access a site and they expect me to log on. I don't wish to share my e-mail address with anyone who will probably end up spamming me one way or the other, or worse - give my information to spammers. Don't let anyone fool you - this is done all the time.
- Internet Explorer Users:
Put a shortcut to BugMeNot on your desktop and bypass logons with it.
- Firefox Users:
Use this Firefox Extension.
So when you visit
The New York Times or any other website in their database, BugMeNot will supply you with the necessary logon.
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Here's One You'll Need Someday:
Freeware Genius has put together a tutorial that you will need some day. Save that to your Favourites!
From time to time all computer users will have to reformat their 'puter and start from scratch. I won't get into the whys right now - suffice to say, this will happen to you and the above tutorial will serve you well in undertaking this jpb.
In fact, if you were wise you would download all the programs indicated and burn them to a cd along with a copy of that tutorial. (copy 'n paste it into Notepad and save it as how to reload my computer)
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And While We're Talking Reformatting:
Not very long ago I had lightning hit my house destroying my well pump, a part of the internet satellite dish on my roof, my router, and basically everything inside my tower. I suppose I was lucky the house didn't burn down - I guess the bolt hit the ground, not the house proper.
Naturally I lost everything that was loaded on my computer, programs and data. However piecing everything back to where I had been was possible because I had everything backed up. Consider this for a moment if you have your business records on your computer. Maybe you have a collection of photos that cannot be replaced, your resume, whatever...
Back it all up to a cd - it could be a life saver some day.
Don't Get Busted
"I couldn't present my records so the tax man busted me"
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My Good Friend Claude:
When I taught the course here on Manitoulin I told the students about a special arrangement I had made with Claude over at CP&U Computers (the local V&S store in Gore Bay) where he would sell any student a new computer, or refurbished, at a reduced price.
I had done a web page for Claude and of course being a whiz with computers Claude couldn't resist trying to tweak the website. Ha ha - I just took a trip over to his page at
http://cpu-computers.com/index.html and discovered he screwed up a little. Check out what you see there with what appears below.
"Claude, you rascal!"
I suspect I'll be getting a call very soon telling me to get this post off the page and while I'm at it, fix his web page.
But if you look closely at Claude's site you will see his reference to Ubuntu - one of the many distros of Linux. I'll be discussing Linux more as time goes by.
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Top of Page
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" in my dreams "
I would've had this company do a web page, but Marie wasn't too keen on it.
Go ahead and call me henpecked. You weren't the guy who had to sleep with her.
We could have wiped out the Nazis in eight weeks if only we had this guy in our IT department.
I asked him but he had the idea that I was connected to a porn site.
Tony Curtis was hot, but I would never had sung to the President if this guy was born twenty years earlier.
I bet I'd still be alive too!
Yes, it's true
I sleep very soundly and when I do I am prone to talking with dead people and sponges. Don't let that scare you away - you can depend on a well-designed website and it is guaranteed not to be spooky.
I'm just a cartoon character from
Day by Day but I know a whiner winner when I see one. Visit us on our web page.
And Please...
If it's past your bedtime and you can't sleep, please think of your good friends around the world who just may or may not be in bed.
Being Indispensable
Sometime, when you are feeling important,
Sometime, when your ego's in full bloom,
Sometime, when you take it for granted,
You're the only qualified one in the room...
Sometime, when you feel that your going,
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow these few simple instructions
And see how it humbles your soul.
Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up tio your wrist,
Pull it out, and the hole that is remaining,
Is the measure of how you'll be missed!
You may splash all you please when you enter,
You can stir up the water galore ~
But stop and you'll find in a minute,
That it looks quite the same as before.
The moral of this quaint observation,
Is to do the very best that you can,
Be proud of yourself, but remember,
There is only one indispensable man.
This above Is Dedicatated To The Memory Of Correctional Sergeant Hal Burchfield
12/16/47 - 6/8/85
Killed In The Line Of Duty
San Quentin State Prison, California Department of Corrections
Dang,
Looks like I gotta find some content to fill this thing up more...
'You know Bert, that POKO
sure is opinionated !'
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