Welcome
to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, January 18, 2009
In this Issue:
Special Feature: A Bad Economy is
Good for Scammers: Mortgage Scams
Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most
Important Rules of Email Etiquette:
5. Write Perfect Subject Lines
This Week's Topic: All About Fonts
Websites of Interest: Martin Luther
King Jr.; Inauguration Day; Online Translator; Medline Plus
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Special Feature: A Bad
Economy is Good for Scammers: Mortgage Scams
The
following is from http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com. Reprinted with
permission.
Rising
unemployment rates, sky-high fuel prices, a plunging stock market and falling
home values have landed many Americans in difficult financial straits. This
makes people psychologically predisposed to jump at a potential solution --
without stopping to consider whether this solution is truly as appealing as it
seems.
Here
is a recently reported scam that is designed to take advantage of America's
current economic problems...
Scammers
find that people having trouble paying their mortgages are particularly
desperate and thus easy prey...
Foreclosure
"Rescue"
A
finance company representative claims that his firm can help you save your home
from foreclosure. He explains that if you sign your home's title over to his
company, it will pay the money that you owe and let you live in the home as a
renter until your finances improve and you can buy it back.
This
company has no intention of helping you save your home. Once you sign over the
title, the company will kick you out and sell the home.
Self-defense:
Never sign your home over to anyone in an attempt to save it from foreclosure.
In
the next edition of this newsletter:
A Bad Economy is Good for Scammers: Bait-and-Switch Scams
Visit
our Newsletter Archives for previous articles on A Bad Economy is Good for
Scammers
Unpaid
Fuel Bill
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/111608.html
Technicians
at your Home Scam
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/120708.html
Work-at-Home
Scam
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/121408.html
Gas
Saver Scam
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/011109.html
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Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most
Important Rules of Email Etiquette:
5. Write Perfect Subject Lines
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 Write a Good Email Subject
Do
You Make These Mistakes in Your Emails?
A
subject like the headline above can irresistibly pull readers into opening your
message and reading its every hypnotic word. Often, it will not — and
what if you don't have anything to sell?
Your
email's subject line is, next to your name, the first thing the recipient sees.
It is important.
In
your email subject, do not:
* Arouse interest and
curiosity.
* Say "Hi".
* Be wordy.
* Respond without giving
context.
* Be vague or general.
Write
a Good Email Subject
To
compose the perfect email subject:
* Give the message's bottom
line. If your email comprises multiple topics, consider breaking it into
multiple messages.
* Summarize the message
— why you are writing and what you want to be different after the
recipient has read your email — instead of describing it. If you invite
somebody to a conference, use "Invitation: Email Efficiency Conference,
Bangalore Aug 14-16" instead of a plain "Email Efficiency
Conference".
* Be precise. Include detail
that allows the recipient to identify what you are talking about quickly and
unambiguously.
* If your message requires
the recipient's action, say so; preferably with the first word.
* Leave out unnecessary
words. Email subjects need to be concise. Skip articles, adjectives and adverbs.
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: All About Fonts
Changing Font Size in
Your Browser
Question: For some inexplicable reason, some Web
sites that I visit are designed using tiny, tiny type. In class, you taught us
how to zoom to make our documents appear larger and easier to read. I don't see
the zoom tool when I'm on the Internet. Is there a way to do this?
Answer:
Yes,
there is. And it's a good idea to do this, because repeated viewing of sites
with very small type can lead to eyestrain.
In Internet Explorer, click on View on the menu at the
top of your screen. Point to Text Size in the menu; you'll see several
choices ranging from largest to smallest. The current choice will have a mark
next to it. Click on one of the larger settings and see how it looks. If it's
still not big enough, do this again, and choose an even larger setting.
Because
you can increase or decrease font sizes so easily, it's very simple to click
back and forth between sizes, depending on the Web page you are viewing.
Changing the Default
Font in Word
Question:
In my Word program, the letters and numbers are very small on the screen and on
my prints. Can I make them bigger?
Answer:
The
Font used determines the appearance and size of the letters, numbers,
punctuation marks, spaces and blank lines. Font size, the size of the letters
and numbers both on the screen and on the printed copy, is measured in points
(pts); seventy-two points equal approximately one inch.
More
than likely, your program is using a 10-pt font size, which is a little small.
You can change it to 12 points, a better size for viewing on the screen and for
printing out. To make sure your change is permanent,
that every new document you start will use the point size you change to, you
must change the default font.
Word
includes a way to easily change the default font for your documents. To do
this, follow these steps:
1.
Create a brand new, blank document.
2.
Choose the Font option from the Format menu. Word displays the Font dialog box.
3.
Select the font settings you want to use by default.
4.
Click on the Default button. Word asks you if you are sure you want to change
the default font.
5.
Click on Yes.
You
have now changed the default font. The changes will take effect in the current
document and every new document you create.
Fonts: Quickly
Changing Point Size
Word
provides a way to quickly change the point size of a selection. To do this,
press and hold the Ctrl key and tap [ to decrease text
size or Ctrl ] to increase text size.
Every
time you press Ctrl + [ or ], the point size of the
text will decrease or increase by one point. If you want more precise control
over the point size (for instance, making something 11.5 points), you must use
the Font dialog box by choosing Font from the Format menu.
Changing Font Size
Select
the text that you would like to change. Click Format on the menu bar, then
Click Font.
In
the Font dialog box, the font design, style, size and color can be changed. Use
the scroll bars in each area to display choices; click on the choice to select
it. Underline style and color can be added. Special effects such as Shadow or
Engrave can be chosen.
When
all choices are made, click the OK button.
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).
Previewing and Printing
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.
Windows Vista Font
Size
Question: I just got a new computer with Windows
Vista on it. So far I like it. I do have a question, though. I was able to change the text size on my
old computer but have not been able to figure out how to do so on this
one. Could you tell me how?
Answer:
Right
click on a blank spot on your desktop.
In the resulting menu, left click on Personalize. This will open the Personalize
Appearance and Sounds window.
In
the left pane, click on the Adjust font size (DPI). A window will pop up asking for your
permission to continue; click the Continue button. (This is a security
precaution that Windows Vista takes. Something is being changed on your
computer and Vista wants to confirm that it is you, and not a hacker,
initiating the change)
The
DPI Scaling window will open. Click
the option that says Larger scale (120 DPI) - make text more readable. Click the OK button and then close the
Personalize Appearance and Sounds window.
You
will need to restart your computer to see the larger font size take effect.
Outlook Express Font
Change
Question: I would like to change the font in
Outlook Express. I change it in an
email, but the next time I open a new email window, it goes back to the old
font. Can I change it permanently?
Answer:
You
can permanently set the font to any style and size you wish. Here are the steps;
Open
Outlook Express. Click Tools on the
menu and then Options.
In
the Options window that you now see, click the Compose tab at the top. In the Compose Font area, click the Font
Settings button to the right of Mail.
In
the Font window, chose the Font, style, size and color you want. Click the OK button to close the Font
window and then again to close the Options window.
Now,
when you open a new email, it will be in the font setting you want.
Change Fonts in
Windows XP
Question: I just bought a new laptop, which I love
already. However, the names of the
icons are very small. Can I make
the text bigger so that it is easier for me to read?
Answer:
Yes
you can. Here’s how:
Right
click on a blank area on the desktop.
From the resulting menu, left click on Properties.
In
the Display Properties dialog box that you now see, click the Appearance tab at
the top.
Towards
the bottom of the dialog box, right below Font size, you will probably see the
word Normal. To the right of that
is a small down arrow. Click on
that arrow, and then click on Extra large.
Click
OK and you’ll see the text on your icons will be much larger and easier
to read.
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Websites of Interest:
Martin
Luther King Jr.
On
Monday, January 19, we observe the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr... At our
website, you will find many interesting and informative links to visit.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/mlk.html
Inauguration
Day
Tuesday,
January 20, is Inauguration Day.
Learn all about the process and the history at this Wikipedia site.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inauguration_Day
Online
Translator
This
free dictionary can find words in Afrikaans, Dutch, Hungarian, Japanese,
Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, and more.
http://www.freedict.com/
Medline
Plus
Look
up anything to do with health care on this site. You will find information symptoms,
diseases, prescription drugs, local resources, and more.
http://medlineplus.gov/