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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, June 14, 2009
In this Issue:
Special Feature: The Effects of Spyware
Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 23. How to Put That in Writing
Special Feature: Downloading and Installing New Fonts
This Week's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer – Detect and Repair Disk Errors
Websites of Interest: Flag Day; The Nourishing Gourmet; Chess; Top Toys for Kids; Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online: 10. Look for Free Printable Coupons
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Special Feature: The Effects of Spyware
by Peter May of How Stuff Works
http://www.howstuffworks.com
In its most benign form, spyware can gather data on your Web surfing habits and serve up ads for specific products or services. It can also turn your computer into a zombie system, sending spam e-mail messages to your contacts and far beyond. Your system can also be used to store data, such as e-mail lists, personal information or illegal images. Some spyware programs are designed to capture every keystroke and mouse click, allowing hackers to follow you around the Web in real time, as you log in to your bank account or other important sites.
PandaLabs recently conducted a research study on identity theft spyware. The report contained some startling statistics:
* Of the 67 million devices PandaLabs scanned in 2008, more than 10 million had some form of spyware designed to steal personal data. Only 35 percent of all devices had updated antivirus tools installed.
* In the United States, personal data retrieval spyware affected more than three million people in 2008.
* Infections grew by an incredible 800 percent in the second half of 2008, compared to the first half.
* Based on trends over a period of 14 months, PandaLabs estimates the infection rate of ID theft spyware will increase 339 percent per month in 2009.
Spyware is against the law -- sort of. The federal government and many states have passed laws against installing software on a computer without the user's consent and using spyware to gather personal information, such as passwords. The problem is that many users actually consent to spyware being included when they download and install free utilities or games. As mentioned earlier, when you click on the Next button to install software, stating you have read and understand the end user license agreement, you are allowing spyware to go to work on your computer.
In our next newsletter:
Avoiding Spyware
Please visit our newsletter archives for previous articles in this series.
How to Avoid Spyware
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/053109.html
Malware
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/060709.html
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Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 23. How to Put That in Writing
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.
How to Put That in Writing
Almost everything we read carries the hidden message: writing is radically different from talking.
The newspaper article is written in a language that differs radically from the way the reporter told the story to his son at the dinner table. The professor used sentences in his book he'd never say aloud in a classroom.
And written communication does indeed differ from oral communication. Writing often helps the thinking and makes things clearer. So, starting to write is no reason to begin using a very roundabout way of saying things.
And if you feel the urge to "translate" what you're thinking to proper written language, if you wonder "how to put that in writing", try, simply, writing it down the way you were thinking it.
Imagine a dear friend, eager, willing and able to help you. Ask them: "How do I put that in writing?" Now explain what you're trying to say. If you write down your explanation word for word, chances are that will be all the help you need.
To read previous editions of this series, please visit our newsletter archives:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/etiquette.html
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Special Feature: Downloading and Installing New Fonts
A Font is a complete set of characters in a specific face, style, and size. Each set includes upper- and lowercase letters, numerals, and punctuation marks.
Font Terminology
Font - a complete set of characters in a specific face, style, and size. Each set includes upper- and lowercase letters, numerals, and punctuation marks.
Font Face - also called typeface or font. The design of the character: Serif, Sans Serif, or Script.
Serif - a font face with lines, curves, or edges extending from the ends of the letter. Times New Roman is an example of a Serif font face.
Sans Serif - a font face with straight-edged characters. Arial is an example of a Sans Serif font face.
Script - a font face that looks like handwriting. Coronet is an example of a Script font face.
Font Style - the slant and weight of letters, such as bold and italic.
Font Size - the height of the font, measured in points. There are 72 points to an inch, therefore, an 18 point font is ¼ of an inch high (these measurements are approximate, based on printer capabilities).
Your computer comes with standard fonts. When you install a printer, more fonts are added to the computer. You can take a look at the fonts that are already installed on your computer.
Previewing Your Computer’s Fonts
Fonts are typefaces used in your Windows programs. Many applications install a variety of fonts on your computer and once installed, they are usually available in all Windows application. You can preview your fonts without having to format text to see how they look.
Here's how:
Click the Start button and open Control Panel
Double-click on the Fonts icon (if you do not see the Fonts icon, click Classic View on the left side of the window)
In the window listing all fonts, double-click on any font icon
You will see the selected font and how it looks in various sizes
Click the Print button to print a sample page of that font
HINT: To print samples of several fonts at the same time, hold down the CTRL key while single clicking the font icons you want to print. When you have selected all the fonts you want to print, click the Print button (or, right click and then click Print).
You can add new fonts to the ones already on your computer. There are many websites that offer free fonts in all different kinds of styles. Several sites are listed at the end of this article.
When you find a font that you like, follow the site’s instruction for downloading and then install it on your computer. Make sure you download the font into your My Documents folder – then it will be easy to find when you need it.
Installing New Fonts in Windows Vista
Click Start and open Control Panel. Open Appearance and Personalization and then open Fonts. This will open the Fonts folder. Right click on a blank spot and then click Add Fonts (or Install New Fonts, depending on your version of Vista).
This will open the Add Fonts window. In the Folders section, find the folder that contains the fonts you have downloaded. Hint: if you downloaded the fonts into your Documents folder or onto the Desktop, double click the Users folder, and then double click your user name. You will then see the Documents and Desktop folders.
Click on the folder that contains the fonts. In the List of fonts sections above, you will now see the fonts that you have downloaded. Click to select the font you would like to install. You will see a preview of the font right below the List of fonts window.
When you are ready to install the font, click the Install button to the right. Vista will ask permission to continue; click the Continue button. The font will then be installed. If you have more than one font, select the next font and click the Install button.
When you are finished, click the Close button and close any open Control Panel windows.
The fonts will be installed and ready to use.
Install fonts in Windows XP
Click on the Start button and open Control Panel.
Double-click the Fonts icon in the Control Panel. (If you are using Windows XP, click Switch to Classic View on the left; you will then see the Fonts icon.)
You will now see a window that lists all of the fonts that are already installed on your computer. To install the font you just downloaded, click File on the menu bar and then Install New Font.
From there you just select where you downloaded the font, choose the ones that you want to install, and click OK.
Zipped Fonts
Some font set are zipped. After you download the file, you will see a zipped folder. This is compressed in order to make the download faster. To unzip, right click on the folder and then left click Extract.
You will now be able to use your new fonts in any program that allows you to work with different fonts.
Free Font Websites:
http://www.fontfreak.com
http://www.fontfoundry.com
http://www.1001freefonts.com
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Today's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer – Detect and Repair Disk Errors
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.
In our ongoing series, Speed Up a Slow Computer, 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
Detect and Repair Disk Errors
As a computer gets older, parts of the hard drive can begin to develop errors. Disk usage and improper shutdowns can cause what are called bad sectors. This kind of error takes up disk space and can lead to slow performance.
Windows includes a tool called CheckDisk or Disk Checker (depending on your version of Windows). It searches the disk for errors and bad sectors and attempts to fix them. To use CheckDisk, follow these steps:
Open My Computer or Computer. My Computer is found in Windows XP and Computer is found in Vista. Look for the icon on the desktop or in the item in the Start menu.
Right click on the C: drive. Click Properties in the resulting menu.
Click the Tools tab at the top.
Click the Check Now button.
Click to select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box and click Start.
This will check the hard disk and, if possible, repair any errors it finds.
This concludes our series Speed Up a Slow Computer. To review the previous articles, please visit our Newsletter Archives:
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
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/042609.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs - MSCONFIG
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/050309.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Disable Unnecessary Windows Services
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/051009.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Defrag
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/051709.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Disable Indexing Services
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/053109.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Optimize Display Settings
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/060709.html
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Websites of Interest:
Flag Day
June 14 is Flag Day. Read about the history and celebration of this observance at these websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Day_in_the_United_States
http://www.usflag.org/history/flagday.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun14.html
The Nourishing Gourmet
This website/blog is devoted to providing information about food that is good for you. Take a look at some of the recipes.
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/
Chess
Do you like to play chess? At this site, you will find rules, lessons, tips on strategy and much more. If you join (it is free), you can play games online.
http://www.chess.com/
Top Toys for Kids
Visit this site before buying that present! You can get reviews, opinions from kids and find the best deals here.
http://www.top-toys-kids.com/
Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online: 10. Look for Free Printable Coupons
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.
10. Look for Free Printable Coupons
Here is a list of the best sites to find free printable coupons for both online and offline stores - you will be able to save some serious money and find some great deals.
RetailMeNot. You can find free printable coupons for more than 20,000 stores here; anything from Amazon to Victoria's Secret. Note: these particular codes are for online stores only.
http://www.retailmenot.com/
FreeShipping.org offers free shipping coupons and free printable coupons to over 800 stores at the time of this writing, anything from JC Penney to Toys R Us to Old Navy.
http://www.freeshipping.org/
Find free printable coupons at GoToDaily not only for your favorite stores, but also for books and magazines, hotels, electronics, and a lot more.
http://www.gotodaily.com/
CouponMom is all about saving money at the grocery store. Registration is free, and you get lots of tips on how to cash in on food bargains.
http://www.couponmom.com
CurrentCodes is a little bit different from the rest of the sites on this list; they don't offer free printable coupons, but they do offer discounts that you can use at the time of checkout online.
http://www.currentcodes.com/
Not only can you find free printable coupons at FatWallet, you can also register with the FatWallet community and actually earn money as you shop.
http://www.fatwallet.com/
CouponCabin is a well-organized, simple site that offers free printable coupons from a variety of stores; anything from grocery coupons to free shipping offers can also be found here.
http://www.couponcabin.com/
Dealighted is a deal aggregator; they filter good deals from other sites mentioned on this list, and feature the most popular on the front page of the site.
http://www.dealighted.com/
SlickDeals offers free printable coupons from over 800 stores; they also keep track of the best computer and technology deals on the Web.
http://slickdeals.net/
Tons of great free printable coupons here! DealCatcher also gives you the Daily Hot Deal, as well as a frequently updated list of the most popular coupons.
http://www.dealcatcher.com/
The Bargainist offers tons of great deals you can take advantage of both on the Web and off, as well as free printable coupons to many of your favorite stores.
http://www.bargainist.com/
Published by Brad Wilson. Brad's Deals finds great shopping deals and free printable coupons.
http://bradsdeals.com/
Dealhack focuses mainly on technology products, although you can find great deals for other retail items here as well.
http://www.dealhack.com/
Coupon Mountain is a great source for free printable coupons - coupons for over 2000 stores at the time of this writing.
http://www.couponmountain.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: Check Out RetailMeNot
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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