Thursday, December 20, 2007

Computer Tips [ Do You Mouse Too Much? + Cool New Browser Release + Save That Site + Friday Funnies ] 12-21-2007

Computer Tipswww.worldstart.com No, this isn't Steve. You can tell because Steve never wears a suit :-)

Quick Tips

New Release: Opera 9.25

Have you been having some trouble with your Opera Web browser lately? If so, it could be because it's time for an update! Yep, on December 19, 2007 (just this past Wednesday), Opera 9.25 was released and it is now available for download. The Opera team has said that it is a recommended security upgrade, so keep reading for all the details and then get it for yourself today!

Five main issues were fixed for the 9.25 version and although there's not a whole lot of information out about them yet, I will tell you what I do know. The first one deals with plug-ins and being able to use them for cross domain scripting, while the second one fixed an issue with TLS certificates used to execute arbitrary code. The next fix was put in place to no longer allow rich text editing to be used for cross domain scripting and the fourth issue has to do with some trouble Opera was having with bitmaps. Finally, the last one fixed a problem with BMP files that were causing Opera to freeze up.

Whew! I know that's a lot to take in and it's a little hard to understand, but like I said, full descriptions of the problems have not yet been released. Either way though, it's very important to upgrade your Opera browser as soon as possible in order to start taking advantage of these changes. So, when you're ready, head on over to this Web site and download Opera 9.25 for yourself. When you get there, just choose the language you want and then hit the big green Download Opera button. That's all you have to do to stay extra safe when using your Opera. Oh yeah!

~ Erin

It's Friday, it's Friday! Can you feel the excitement?! Make sure you keep reading to find out what you can do to eliminate some of your mouse usage, learn how you can easily click in your references in MS Excel and find out how you can save your favorite Web sites with Firefox's ScrapBook extension. Also, be sure to check out the Friday Funnies for your daily laugh and as always, don't miss out on Amanda's Cool Site of the Day. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend, everyone! : )

Announcements

Absolutely Awesome 1GB MP3/MP4 Player BLOWOUT!

Just $36.97 - Our Best Price EVER on a 1GB MP3/MP4 Player!!!

WOW!!


You've got to check this one out! This is the coolest little 1GB MP3/MP4 Player I have ever seen and the price is unbelievable!

I know most of you know what an MP3 Player is, but some of you might be asking what's an MP4 Player - right? Well, let me tell you! With this little guy, not only can you download your favorite music to it, you can also download pictures and videos as well! Is that cool or what? You have a whole multimedia library right at your fingertips and ready to go with you anywhere and everywhere!

Check out ALL these great features:

MP3 Player: Uploading and downloading and installing a ton of programs just to get one song onto your MP3 player is extremely frustrating! Not so with this baby ~ even the most inexperienced of computer users will be up and running in no time! This MP3 Player supports virtually any music format you have - MP3, WMA, WAV, etc. You can easily load all your favorite songs and have them with you at all times!

1.5" LCD Screen: Now this is AWESOME! The full-color display is nothing short of spectacular! You can download, store and view pictures as well as music - how cool is that?
When playing music, the song title and artist; battery indicator; play time; play mode; music format, etc. is shown.

Voice Recording: This does more than just play music and videos! This also includes an easy to use voice recorder. No need to write notes to yourself on the back of your hand ever again! You can leave yourself messages right on your MP3 player to listen to later! Talk about convenient!

Game Play: Just in case you get bored listening to music or looking through your pictures, you can play a variety of games that come installed! Choose from: Rusblock, Puzzle, Sudoku and Snake!

Now, I'm not what you'd call an expert when it comes to using an MP3 player, so when I got this one in and checked it out, my first thoughts were - WOW - this is really easy to use and the sound and picture are awesome! What's better yet, the cost is EXTREMELY affordable!

We've offered some really nice MP3 players before, but this one definitely tops the list because it holds photos as well music and you can even play games on it as well! You really do have an all-in-one multimedia unit right at your fingertips - for an AMAZING price! I have nieces that are just a little to young to have the responsibility of owning a $200.00 MP3 Player, so I am so thrilled to be able to get them this one! It's everything they want at a much, much more reasonable price!

This little player is ready to go anywhere and just about everywhere with you! The kit includes: 1GB MP3/MP4 Player, earbuds, a USB cable and power adapter! You can charge this right from your computer via the included USB cable or AC power adapter so, it never needs batteries!

If you've been thinking about picking up an MP3 player, now's the time to grab one ~ the price will not get better!

Again, your cost is only $36.97 (including FREE shipping in the US)! Similar models (iPod) retail for upwards of $149.00, so these are going to go quick ~ I guarantee it ~ everyone here is already putting in their orders (not just me), that's how great these are!

Get to the site today and get yours before they're gone:

http://store.worldstart.com/product.php?productid=4044

PS - This is a VERY limited quantity item - be sure to get to the site early to get yours ordered! And, in case you're wondering, 1GB holds about 240 songs - WOW!


Our LOWEST Price EVER!!!

WOW - 4 GIG Flash Drives - Just $28.97!!!
(No Refurbs - No Rebates - No Kidding!!)

Is That Unreal Or What?!?!

Now when I say WOW - I mean WOW! This price is SO GREAT, I had to call back and double check to make sure I heard my supplier correctly!!!!

These are AWESOME 4 Gig Flash Drives! 

I just did some checking around to see what these are going for retail right now - here's what I found: the "big box" stores are getting no less than $50.00 for 'em (some are closer to $70.00)!
So when I say it's pretty amazing that we're able to do these for less than $30.00, you know that's not just a line, it's a fact!!

Oh, and get this - these aren't second rate drives, they're PQI drives so you know they're top of the line, and they have a lifetime warranty!

I personally just love these things! I use them for transporting photos, backing up important files, transferring large files - or large numbers of files. It's really handy for bringing files from work to home (and vice versa) ~ I finally got my husband to start using one and he can't believe how simple they are to use and how much easier it makes "transporting" files!

These have replaced the floppy and frankly I think they are probably putting a pretty good dent into CD-R and DVD-R sales! Why burn a disk when you can use these? I can't even remember the last time I burned a disk for anything! I back up all my important files right to one of these!

Oh, and setup is soooo easy! For XP or Vista computers, you just plug it and you're good to go. The drive will show up under My Computer. Just drag the files over you want to put on the drive! That's it!

Here's my favorite feature on this drive... it's "lidless" so you don't lose the cap (like I do all the time). The cover just slides over (while still attached) so you can easily access the USB port and then easily close it back up for storage! I'm so happy about this, I know I've ruined more than one flash drive while it was floating around in my bag without the cover ;-(

Again, the price is AMAZING, so now's the time to buy! Just $28.97 and US shipping is FREE! $50-$70 retail!! It's crazy not to grab a few a this kind of price! Here's the link:

http://store.worldstart.com/product.php?productid=3697

PS - We're not sure how long our inventory is going to last on these as it is a limited quantity deal! So, get to the site as soon as you can ~ as usual, first come, first served!! 

Computers 101

Q:
I feel like I use my mouse too often and I was just wondering if there was an easy way I could cut back. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for all your help!

A:
I know exactly what you mean! I often feel like I use my mouse too often too. It just becomes so redundant going back and forth between my keyboard and mouse. By the end of the day, my poor little arm is tired out! I'm sure you and I aren't the only ones who feel that way either. So, if you feel like you use your mouse too much, keep reading for a simple cure. I promise you're going to love this one!

Now, before I go any further, I want to make it perfectly clear that I'm not trying to push keyboard shortcuts on you, because I know those can be hard to learn and remember. I'm talking about all the times you use your mouse for the most common tasks on your computer. For example, any time you change a setting on your PC, you have to press OK for it to take effect, right? Isn't it a little repetitive to have to press that button every single time? How would you like your mouse to automatically do it for you?

Well, it's possible and here's how! You just have to enable the "snap to" feature for your mouse. Go to Start, Control Panel and click on the Printers and Other Hardware link. Choose the Mouse link and then click on the Pointer Options tab. The second choice there is Snap To. Checkmark that box and click OK.

So, from now on, your mouse pointer will automatically move to the default button in any dialogue box. Every time you're doing something on your computer, the mouse pointer will take care of the finishing touches for you and you won't have to worry about moving your hand back over to your mouse. This feature also helps to eliminate wrist injuries, such as carpal tunnel, because you don't have to use your mouse quite so much. And let's be honest, who can argue with that?!

Now, go on and snap to it, my friends!

~ Erin

Have a question for the newsletter? Submit it at the link below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitquestion.htm

 

MS Office

Click in Your References

Did you know you don't have to type cell locations into formulas in MS Excel?

I don't know about you, but I think it's a pain to have to verify all my cell locations just so I can type them into a formula somewhere else in the worksheet!

Wouldn't it be much easier to simply click on cell B26, for example, instead of looking for the cell location and then typing B26 into the formula?

Yeah, I thought so too and luckily, Excel lets you do just that!

No longer do you have to scroll through your worksheet, looking for the cell you need, just to scroll back to your formula to add that address and then start all over again with the next one.

Excel allows you to start your formula (with the equal sign and any other beginning information) and when you get to a cell (or range of cells) that must be inserted, just simply scroll and click (or highlight for multiple cells). Excel will automatically insert the cell location for you.

Next, enter whatever is left of the formula by clicking at any other juncture where a cell reference is needed. Then just hit the Enter key when you're done.

For example, to add cells A1 and B1, you could type =, click on cell A1, type the +, click on cell B1 and finally, hit the Enter key.

The formula =A1 + B1 will be your end result. (Obviously, that one is too simple to bother with the clicking, but whenever you're not sure of the exact cell location of the data, the click method is just the thing you need).

I'm sure if you have complicated or large worksheets, it can be a real timesaver when you don't have to resort to scrolling all the time. Give it a try!

~ April

 

More Cool Stuff

WS Auction Info:

Just a quick shout out to remind everyone to stop by the WS Auction site!

New items are added daily and the items are so fun and unique, you're bound to find that little something special you've been looking for!

Check it all out here:

http://auctions.worldstart.com/index.php


Great Deals From Our Store...

WOW - We had an amazing response to Instant Video Maker earlier this month! Thank you to the THOUSAND+ customers that ordered! If you missed out, don't worry ~ we just came across a case of them that was "hiding" in the warehouse, so you still have a chance at it. A word of warning though - there are only a few dozen here so I'm sure we will be COMPLETELY sold out in no time! Don't wait - this is one deal you don't want to miss. Once this last batch of them is gone, they're gone for good!

AWESOME Price - Just $8.97!!!!
(No kidding)

All You Need Is A CD Burner - No Special Hardware!!

Create A DVD or Video CD In Minutes From Your Photos!

A MUST-HAVE For Digital Camera or Video Owners!!

WOW - how lucky are we that we opened this box that was hiding on us in the warehouse?!? Very lucky I'd say! We discovered a few dozen more of the best-selling Instant Video Maker program we had available earlier this month!!!! If you missed out then, you'd better get to the site quick, this is an AWESOME deal! Why so popular?? Well, it's because you get a $50 program for less than $10! Awesome - right? :- )

Again, it's called Instant Video Maker and it lets you create these absolutely amazing DVDs or Video CDs from either your digital photos or videos (or both)! All you need is this software and a standard CD or DVD burner!! The movies are incredibly professional looking and between all the "ohhs and "ahhs", everyone is going to ask how the heck you did these incredible shows! (Be sure to check out the product page here - to see a really cool sample video I made in less than 10 minutes!)

 If you shoot digital photos or even digital video, this is one piece of software you just gotta own! I almost can't stand how cool this is!

How's it work? It really couldn't be easier. You simply click the "Add Photos / Videos" button and pick the photos and videos you want from your hard drive! Told ya it was easy! Oh, and you can quickly arrange the order that the photos / videos will play in too - makes it super easy! And I absolutely LOVE the fact that you do just photos, just videos, or BOTH on the same project! 

Oh, and once you create your show, you'll be blown away at all the options for saving it! You can save if for just computer playback, save it for e-mailing (very cool), mobile phones, web streaming, and of course, my favorite - save it to a DVD or CD - either of which will play on ANY standard DVD player!! That's right - just pop in a standard CD-R or DVD-R and create a movie - no special CDs, DVDs or burners required!

I really love the way the slide shows look from digital photos. Instead of just slapping them up on the screen, the software does these awesome scrolls, zooms in / out, fades, etc.! It really looks like it was done in a professional studio! In fact, there are tons of different "styles" you can choose from to give the show the exact "look" you're going for! It's sooo cool - you'll have a blast putting your production together!

Oh, and get this - if you want to add a soundtrack or even captions - this can do that too! Told you it was amazing! What I really love about the whole program is just how easy it makes it to create these professional looking slide shows! I'm going to use it to make some slide shows from our trips with the kids this year. The grandparents and aunts are just gonna love it!

If you have a digital camera, you know that making prints and sharing them is a pain - and can get quite expensive (ink, paper, etc). I suppose you could invite everyone to huddle around your computer and show your vacation pictures that way, but why? With this software, sharing photos is easy, comfortable and inexpensive. Oh, and the way these "videos" look, everyone will be blown away!

Now for the most amazing part! This software retails for $49.99, but your cost is just $8.97 and US shipping is FREE! Is that incredible or what?!?! It's the lowest price we've ever had on a title like this, and for all this can do, you just can't go wrong. I can't recommend this highly enough - give it a try, you'll love it too! Here's the link:

http://store.worldstart.com/product.php?productid=4005

PS - If you do any kind of digital photography or video, you owe it to yourself to give this a try. It's a high end program that we were able to get an incredible deal on. Don't miss out, these won't last!


Mini Helicopter with Remote Control!

AWESOME!

TONS Of Fun For ALL Ages!!!

Every once in awhile we come across one of these really fun remote control "toys" and we just have to offer it to you all because we love it so much, we know you will too! This one is no exception!

This Mini R/C Helicopter is made of a durable foam material and is extremely compact and lightweight so it's easy to operate indoors! No worries about busting up all the windows and no need to send the kids out in the cold. Let them play indoors where you can keep an eye on them while they're having fun!

We actually shot a video of the Mini R/C Helicopter flying around in our stockroom - everyone was having a blast with it! Click here to go to the page to watch it (scroll down just a bit when you get to the page - it's a YouTube video, click on it to play the video)!

This Mini R/C Helicopter is so much fun, everyone wanted to have "just one more turn" when we were testing it here! And, EVERYONE here has put in orders (I ordered 4!!!) that's how much fun these are! So don't wait to get your order placed. We offered these a couple of weeks ago and they sold out the same day!!!

Customers have been calling and emailing ever since asking for more - well, here you go, we have more!!!!

This ultimate indoor Mini R/C Helicopter is easy to fly and does not require assembly! With the included remote control, you'll enjoy precision flight and unbelievable indoor maneuvering abilities - take off, land, turn left or right! Great fun for all ages!

If you want to get one, get to the site soon! The price is just $28.97 and shipping is FREE in the US! Check it out here:

http://store.worldstart.com/product.php?productid=4045

PS - We have a very limited quantity so don't wait too long!
Again, last time we sold them they sold out the same day so be sure to get yours ordered ASAP!!!


Tip of the Day

A Firefox ScrapBook

Have you ever found a great Web site that you absolutely fell in love with, but when you go back to visit it again, you get the “404 Page Not Found” error message? That can be so frustrating! If you recall, awhile back, I showed you Onfolio for Internet Explorer, which allows you to easily save Web pages and text snippets on your hard drive. But what about Firefox? Well, for all you Firefox users, you need a special Firefox extension called ScrapBook. It has all the features of Onfolio and more. Let's check it out!

1.) First, head on over to the ScrapBook download page here. Just click the green Install Now button and then restart Firefox when prompted.

2.) Once Firefox has reopened, you’re ready to begin using ScrapBook!

3.) Go to a sample site you’d like to bookmark. Once you’re there, on the menu, select Capture Page.



4.) When you see a little Capture Completed box, you'll know that page has been saved to your computer.

5.) Now, go to a different site, go up to ScrapBook and select Capture Page As.



6.) You have a couple of options here. You can choose to save the images, styles and Javascript code on that page or you can choose whether or not to save any downloadable files on that page.

7.) Finally, you can pick the depth of links you’d like to save. This is a very important step! This could be useful if you're reading an article that has links to other pages. If you had the depth set to 0 (zero), you wouldn’t be able to read those pages. If it was set to 1, you’d be able to. However, if it was set to 2, you’d be able to click links on the second page and so on. Just imagine how useful that could be. You could save pages when you have an Internet connection and view them somewhere later without a connection, just like normal!

8.) After you’ve selected the different options, click Capture.

Now, I’d like you to go to the ScrapBook menu and click Show in Sidebar. You’ll see the pages you’ve captured listed there. Go ahead and click on one of them.

Now, check out the toolbar at the bottom of the page. It will look like this:

If you select some text and select the highlighter button, it will become highlighted. Selecting the pencil allows you to put little sticky notes all over the page and the D.O.M. eraser gets rid of unnecessary elements on the page (just like R.I.P.).

I hope you enjoyed learning about ScrapBook. Trust me, it can be a real timesaver!

~ Neil Patel

If you enjoy our tips, tell your friends. That's what keeps this newsletter growing.
http://www.worldstart.com/referafriend.htm

 

Today's Feature

Friday Funnies

For stories, jokes, quotes and cartoons every day, sign up for our Just for Grins newsletter.

Amanda's Coolsite

Share Christmas

This Web site has a huge kids section with lots of activities, games, stories and more for your kids or grandkids to enjoy!

This is a great site to use to find things for your kids to do over Christmas break. I know as a kid, I constantly pestered my mom when we were on break for stuff to do. The kids area is broken down into these sections:

Games – You’ll find five different games here that your child can play. They are Online Christmas Checkers, Snowman Maze, Word Search, Surfing Christmas and a Christmas Countdown.

Crafts – This is where my mom excelled at keeping me busy. She is amazing at finding crafts for kids to do, which I believe plays into her success as a teacher. Here you will find four crafts to do. The snow globe is my personal favorite!

Coloring Pages – This is another thing we did a lot as kids. There was never a time when we didn’t have crayons and coloring pages around, whether they were out of coloring books or printed off. Here you will find eight different coloring pages you can print out for your kids or grandkids. Or, you can save them to your computer and let them color with the Paint program.

If you’ve noticed, in the menu along the top, you’ll see that there is also a Recipe section, a Stories section and an In the Traditions section, where you can learn about such Christmas traditions as mistletoe, Christmas trees, Christmas stockings, St. Nicholas and many more. Have fun!

http://www.share-christmas.com/kids/

~ Amanda

Do you have a cool, non-commercial site that you want to share?
Send it to Amanda at
amanda@worldstart.com

 

New Titles and Offers

Over 30 Free E-mail Newsletters!

Have you checked out our NewslettersForFree.com site? It's basically a listing of various free newsletters of all types (including ours since about the time they started). No matter what your interest, there's a free newsletter on this site for ya! Sooooo, I wanted to invite everyone to stop by the site and check it out. It's almost a guarantee you'll see some newsletters you'll want to pick up! So, check it out. In a time when everyone want to charge for online stuff, it's nice to know there's good stuff that doesn't cost ya a cent:

http://www.newslettersforfree.com

 

Monthly Wallpaper

December Wallpaper

Here's December's wallpaper. It's all free, so enjoy!

Hummingbird

WS Photo Contest Winner! - A picture of a hummingbird heading to my feeder for some lunch.

Elk in Snow

This was taken two months ago at Yellowstone National Park. There were scattered snow showers that day and I was able to capture this guy in a snow squall. I think I ended up spending two or three hours with him!

Tahquamenon Falls in Winter

This was shot a couple years ago in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This was the first snow of the year, so the water was still flowing good. The brown in the water is tannin from the trees that line the river.

All can be found here:

http://www.worldstart.com/wallpaper/index.php

Enjoy!

 

 

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Copyright, Disclaimer, and Removal

ISSN: 1529-336X
Copyright 2005, WorldStart. All unauthorized reproduction strictly prohibited.

You are welcome to reproduce this newsletter (i.e. print it, store it) for your own personal use. You are also welcome to forward it, in its entirety, to friends and family.

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Finally, you agree to try any advice contained or suggested in this newsletter at your own risk.

Microsoft and Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation (duh!)


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