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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, April 26, 2009
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Secure Passwords
Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 17. Be Careful with Irony in Emails
This Week's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs
Question: Stop Slow WebPages
Websites of Interest: Wildlife Conservation Society; Great Backyard Landscaping Ideas; How to Use a Sewing Machine; ZipSkinny; Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online 4. Organize your Travel Plans
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Special Feature: Secure Passwords
If you work with any accounts online that need to be secure, for example, a bank or brokerage account, or paypal, it is very important to have a good password to protect your personal information.
With a password cracking tool, a hacker can crack an insecure password in a fraction of a second. Security experts recommend following these six rules when making up a password:
1. Choose random characters. The dog’s name or the name of the street you grew up on are not good passwords. Try this: FiaBaWSD125MS. That stands for ‘Fluffy is a Black and White Small Dog’ and you live at ‘125 Main Street’. Easy to remember, hard to hack into.
2. Passwords should be unique. Try to create a password that is not easy to guess. See Rule One.
3. Use at least eight characters. The longer, the better.
4. Use a combination of upper and lowercase letters and numbers. If the website allows symbols in passwords, put one or two of those in, too.
5. Change your password frequently. Some websites will require a change periodically. Change it, even if the site you are using does not.
6. Type in your password when you are asked for it. The Remember Password feature is convenient, but it is more secure if you type it yourself.
And remember, no business will ever send you an email asking you for your account information and password. If you do receive an email like that, delete it and call the business (do not use a phone number that was in the email).
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Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 17. Be Careful with Irony in Emails
This article is part of our ongoing series on Email Etiquette. With the help of Heinz Tschabitscher from about.com, we are taking an in depth look at email etiquette. To read previous editions of this series, please visit our newsletter archives:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/etiquette.html
The rules of email etiquette are not rules as much as they are guidelines that help avoid mistakes (like offending someone when you don't mean to) and misunderstandings (like being offended when you're not meant to).
These core rules of email etiquette help us communicate better via email.
Be Careful with Irony in Emails
Be careful with irony in emails. Irony is wonderful. You can say something without quite saying it. And irony is funny, too.
An ironic tone is only wonderful and funny if it is understood, however. When the recipient of your message can see you, or when they know you well, this usually works.
But with email irony can spark disaster. Because it is so difficult to convey via email that something was meant ironically, misunderstandings are common and can lead to major fights.
To read previous editions of this series, please visit our newsletter archives:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/etiquette.html
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Today's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs
As your Windows computer ages, its speed can decrease. You will notice an increase in response time when you give commands to open programs, files or folders, use the Internet and other tasks. There are several things you can do to speed up your computer.
Over the next several editions of this newsletter, we will present articles discussing some of the steps you can take to speed up your slow computer.
Important: Before making any changes to your system, always create a Restore Point. If anything goes wrong with the changes you make, this will allow you to revert back to a point when the computer was operating correctly. Please visit our Newsletter Archives to read our article, All About Restore Points:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040509.html
Turn Off Auto Start Programs
Windows will automatically open programs that are in your Startup folder. You will find the startup folder in the Start button menus. Click the Start button or orb, point to Programs, and then point to Startup.
Everything you see in there automatically opens when you turn your computer on. (If you do not recognize everything in there, note that some programs run behind the scenes and you will never see them on your desktop).
While it may be convenient for programs to be open when you are ready to use them, this process usually significantly increases the time it takes to start the computer.
Some programs, in the installation process, are designed to put a shortcut in the Startup folder; you may not necessarily want that program to open every time you use your computer. These programs can be removed from Auto Startup.
To do so, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Startup. Right click the Program that you want to remove. Left click Delete from the resulting menu.
You will be asked to confirm the deletion; click Yes, OK or Delete Shortcut (depending on your version of Windows).
Note: When you delete a program from the Start menu, you are not uninstalling the program from the computer. You are deleting the Shortcut, which is the command that tells Windows to open the program. The program will still exist on the computer, and, more than likely, another shortcut to the program will be elsewhere in the Start menu.
In our next edition, learn how to speed up your computer by turning off programs that start up automatically.
Please visit our Newsletter Archives for previous articles in our Speed Up a Slow Computer series:
Speed Up a Slow Computer - Clean the Desktop
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040509.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer - Uninstall Unused Programs
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/041909.html
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Question: Stop Slow WebPages
Sometimes a website will take a very long time to appear on the screen. is there anything I can do to just cancel that and go to a different website?
Answer:
Yes, there is. Sometimes web pages do not load very fast. You can click the Reload or Refresh button to try it again. If it still takes so long, press the Esc (Escape) key on the keyboard or click the Stop button on the browser.
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Websites of Interest:
Wildlife Conservation Society
Led by the Bronx Zoo, The Wildlife Conservation Society provides wildlife conservation and education.
http://www.wcs.org/
Great Backyard Landscaping Ideas
This site will get you started with everything you ever needed to know about gardening and landscaping.
http://www.great-backyard-landscaping-ideas.com/
How to Use a Sewing Machine
Using a sewing machine is not as difficult as it seems. Take a look at this website for tips.
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Sewing-Machine
ZipSkinny
Enter your zip code and learn all sorts of interesting facts about your neighborhood.
http://www.zipskinny.com/
Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online 4. Organize your Travel Plans
From Wendy Boswell of about.com
No matter what your financial situation may be, it is always a good idea to learn new ways to save money. Find out how you can utilize the power of the Web to save money, find good deals, and improve your financial status.
4. Organize your Travel Plans with TripIt
* Make a travel itinerary on any travel site or service you normally use: airline, a travel agency, etc.
* Forward your confirmation email to plans@tripit.com.
* TripIt takes your travel plans and turns them into one master itinerary, with added information such as local attractions, weather, maps,and much more.
TripIt is extremely easy to use and you can save all your TripIt itineraries to share with other people or just for your own personal use. It's a great way to make that road trip a lot more interesting!
http://www.tripit.com/
Tip: Some websites may require you to register to use their features. When you register at websites, you may be signing up for spam (junk mail) if the recipient sells email addresses to spammers. There is a way to avoid this and still be able to take advantage of the great things that site has to offer. Read our article, Minimizing Spam – Registering Online, at our newsletter archives, to learn how use websites without getting junk mail.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/111608.html
Next Edition: The Best Sites for Cheap Flights
Please visit our newsletter archives for previous articles in our Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online series:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/savemoney.html
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