Internet Travel Tips & Websites

BOOK AIRLINE TRAVEL from 12:01AM WEDNESDAY MORNING on; all new fares are announced/posted midnight E.S.T. Tuesday for the next week

SIGN-UP FOR ALL E-MAIL NOTICES of special prices from low cost airlines that serve your city or target destination (or are near-by). Examples include: Kayak's FareAlert, Southwest Ding! Fares, Southwest Click 'n Save fares, AirTran, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit Airline Red Light fares. The low cost airlines' special fares are much less restrictive than the high cost carriers' week-end specials - but be sure to compare accurately by adding in additional charges, such as taxes, landing fees, luggage & others...

COST PROJECTIONS? Go to www.farecast.com to see if airfare prices to your destination are expected to go up or down

DRIVING TIPS
• Go to www.fuelcostcalculator.com –enter the start point and end point to see how many gallons or call and the approximate cost of your trip based on today’s gas prices in those areas (this site is funded by AAA)
• Prices can vary a great deal in any area, so check out www.gasbuddy.com or www.gaspricewatch.com which will always show you the cheapest places to buy gas in any area

SENIOR TRAVEL WEBSITES.. (best overall site: www.allmyfaves.com)
www.50plus.com
www.aarp.org
www.independenttraveler.com
www.seniors-site.com
www.seniortravel.about.com
www.smartseniortravel.com
www.solodining.com
www.suddenlysenior.com
www.womentraveltips.com

Great site to rent vacation homes "worldwide" versus staying in a hotel... www.vrbo.com

What is the Fn key on my laptop?

Small portable computers (laptops, notebooks, netbooks) have fewer keys than larger desktop keyboards, but most come with a special function key, the Fn key, which when used in combination with other keys, like the Shift key, give those keys multiple purposes.

In some of the newer laptops/notebooks, the Fn key is used primarily to activate special laptop functions. These functions share other keys on the keyboard, typically the Function keys. They're marked by special icons, and these icons are color coded to match the Fn key.

THERE IS NO STANDARD LIST FOR THESE FN KEY COMBINATIONS - But many laptops do use Fn key combinations to do the following – so when you find the combination that works create your own “reference list”:

Fn +UP ARROW increases the brightness of the screen (decreasing battery life)

Fn +DOWN ARROW decreases the brightness of the screen (increasing battery life, but also increasing how much you need to squint to read the screen).

Fn +ESC suspends your computer, switching it to a mode where the hard drive and screen are disabled in order to save battery power. (Usually closing the screen accomplishes the same task, but sometimes you want to leave the screen open.)

Fn +F2 toggles your wireless on and off. (Practice it a few times so you can recognize how the icons in the system tray appear, so you’ll know to switch it back on if you ever disable it by accident.) If you’re on a plane or in a hospital, you should disable your wireless receiver. Or suppose you’re riding in a train or car and you know there’s no wireless signal, you’ll increase battery performance if you disable the wireless receiver.

Organize Files & Folders on your Computer

WINDOWS EXPLORER shows you where all your files are on your computer – an easy way to access this is to hold down the Windows Flag key + Tap “E” on your keyboard using the same “folder system” you would in a “filing cabinet”. Folders and sub-folders are "containers" to store files (documents, picutres, videos, movies, music etc). Every item named on a computer is a file and files are sorted into foldder, sub-folders and sub-sub-folders, which you create and name.

Some of the standard folders/drawers that Windows creates are: My Documents, My Music, My Pictures & My Videos. In Windows Vista & Windows 7, the word “My” has been dropped….They get their names from the fact that you use them as follows:

• My Documents: Use this folder to store other types of documents you save, such as typed text or spreadsheets
• My Music: Use this folder to store music you copy to your computers
• My Pictures: Use this folder to store pictures, such as those you get from a camera or scanner, or from the Internet
• My Videos: Use this folder to store videos, such as those you get from a video camera, emails or from the Internet

WINDOW EXPLORER BASICS:

• Windows Explorer Is The Computers “Filing Cabinet” Allowing You To Quickly & Easily Move And Or Copy Item (S) From One Folder And Or Drive To Another
• The Windows Explorer Screen Is Divided Into Two Sections/Panes: Left & Right And Divided With Separator Bar
• Windows Explorer for Windows 95 thru XP Uses Plus (+) And Minus (-) Signs To Display Or Close What Is In A Folder; Windows Vista & Windows 7 use the common Arrow signs
• Whatever Is Highlighted On The Left Pane Is What You Are Looking At On The Right Side Of The Screen

Internet Tips - Cookies, Online & Offline

WHAT IS A COOKIE? Cookies are preference files that shore data/information sent to your computer by a Web server that records your actions on a certain website… They make it easier for your to “move around” when you revisit websites in the future

IS THERE AN EASY WAY TO DELETE COOKIES? When you are on the internet – go to the menu bar, tools, internet options – you will see a category for Temporary Internet Files – which contains both cookies and temporary internet file addresses – this allows you to quickly erase them…

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WORK ONLINE? – OFFLINE?
ONLINE – is work done on your computer when it is connected to another computer or network, including the internet
OFFLINE – is work done when you are not connected to another computer, network or the internet..
To turn this feature on & off – When you are on Internet Explorer go to Menu Bar, File, and you will see a toggle command in the menu list that switches between Work Online & Work Offline

THE LEGEND OF SAINT VALENTINE

Happy Valentines Day Everyone

According to legend the Valentine takes its name from a young Christian priest who lived in ancient Rome. Like so many of the early Christians, Valentine had been imprisoned because of his faith.

Often and longingly he thought of his loved ones and wanted to assure them of his well-being and of his love for them. Beyond his cell window, just within reach, grew a cluster of violets. He picked some of the heart-shaped leaves and pricked them with the words: “Remember Your Valentine,” and send them off by a friendly dove. On the next day, and the next, he sent more messages that simply said, “I love you.”

Thus did the Valentine have its beginning. And so it has been through the ages- those who love, remember – and send Valentines to express their love.

Search the internet or visit these websites for more information on Valentines Day - enjoy:

www.history.com/content/valentine

www.theholidayspot.com/valentine

Word Processing Tips

MICROSOFT WORD – is the #1 word processing program used in the world today – remember once you learn the feature commands and corresponding icons for these commands, they are the same in any other software you might learn
Special Note: All Microsoft Office 97-2003 Program (including Word) use toolbars; whereas Office 2007 Programs, including Word use the new Tab/Ribbon Format

SELECT TO EFFECT (highlight)
When you want to edit/change text (add Bold, Italic, Underline, Delete, change color, cut, copy, past, change font size or style and lots of other "formatting options") remember to "select the text first/highlight it" and then click the button of your choice.. TIP: To highlight everything in a document, whether 1 page or 100 pages: use SELECT ALL of CTRL + A

BASIC SCREEN: Insertion Point “I” vs. Work Bar, Title Bar, Menu Bar, Toolbars, Ruler, Scroll Bars (right & bottom), Status Bar & Task Bar

BOLD, ITALIC, UNDERLINE: B – I – U Highlight text, then use icon on formatting toolbar OR Menu Bar, Format, Font

DON'T PANIC WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE - Use your "Undo" & "Redo" buttons

FONT STYLE: The design of your characters – letters – numbers

FONT SIZE: the size of your characters – letters – numbers

STANDARD BUSINESS FONT & SIZES
Times New Roman - 12 pitch
Arial-14 pitch
Note: 72 pitch always = 1" high

WANT THE RULER ON OR OFF YOUR SCREEN?
Click "View" - Activate or deactivate the ruler.. choice is yours

Quick Launch

The handy “QUICK LAUNCH” toolbar is available in Windows XP, Vista & 7 (Operating System Software) allowing you “one click” to start a program (application software) without having to “minimize” the program you are currently using and going back to the desktop to activate it, and this is typically located to the right of the START BUTTON on the TASK BAR.

To be sure you can work with the QUICK LAUNCH or see it, you must UNLOCK the taskbar in order to work with it. Simply right click on blank space in the TASK BAR, you will see an action menu, be sure “Lock the TASK BAR is not checked off” – if it, highlight & left click on it, which removes the lock.

TO DISPLAY THE QUICK LAUNCH BAR
Right click on the taskbar – You must click on an empty spot on the taskbar or you get a different menu-so don’t click on an icon already on the taskbar
• Left Click TOOLBARS
• Left Click QUICK LAUNCH from the pop-up menu

TO ADD NEW ICONS TO THE QUICK LAUNCH BAR
Simply CLICK and DRAG them from your desktop to the Quick Launch Bar, assuming your TASKBAR is not locked (if you want you can remove the icons from your desktop-it doesn’t affect the software in any way)

TO SEE THE QUICK LAUNCH BAR DISPLAY LARGE ICONS
• Right click the Quick Launch Bar
• Left Click VIEW
• Left Click LARGE from the pop up menu

Many use the QUICK LAUNCH area only, so that they have NO ICONS on the desktop.. In addition to application icons, you can also add Internet Logos to the QUICK LAUNCH, when you have a website on the monitor, simply Click & Drag the website logo to the Quick Launch.

When you drag icons to the QUICK LAUNCH area – watch for the black insert line before dropping the icon, remember you cannot put one icon on top of another.

What are Minimize, Maximize or Restore?

The following commands allow you the ability to "work and manipulate open items on your monitor" They are 3 icons located in the upper right hand corner of what we call the TITLE BAR on every application or website we visit ... The middle icon changes and will either be the RESTORE icon or the MAXIMIZE icon)

• MINIMIZE (icon resembles _ ) -"get out of the way" to work on another program
• RESTORE (icon resembles 2 pages) - allows you to see every thing "open" - multiple windows at one time so you can see other open applications behind the current or
• MAXIMIZE (icon resembles 1 page) - fills the entire screen with the one program
• CLOSE (icon is an X) and this will close out the program entirely

TIP: If you have a lot of applications open and want to return quickly to the DESKTOP, use your keyboard shortcut: Windows Flag Key + M key (which minimizes all open applications at once)

What is Social Networking?

JOURNALING VS. BLOGGING VS. TWITTERING, FACEBOOK & MY SPACE - All of these are various aspects of "social networking" - since we were children, we've networked with other people in various groups - today, because of the internet, our social networks are unlimited by geography... These are some common terms and what they mean...

JOURNALING - For some of people “journaling” is a great option – when you journal, you are keeping a private journal (diary or logbook) and most people decide their own format – maybe to put in an entry or two each day of what they are doing and or thinking…And remember – journal’s are private…

VS. BLOGGING - According to Wikipedia, A BLOG (a contraction of the term weblog) is a website - resembling "newsletters" usually kept up by an individual with regular entries of comments, descriptions of events, or other info & graphics or videos and typically they are displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Many families today create their own BLOGS to share information throught the family - they can add photo slide shows, videos, calendars with important dates to family members and much more - TIP-most families set the privacy settings at private so that only those family members invited can see what is on their blog.. Whomever established/created the BLOG can also invite others to "author articles - known as "POSTS" so that information can come from different sources...

Our class blog is: www.lhcseniorpcgeeks.blogspot.com

VS. TWITTERING
Twittering is certainly the rage – and is another social networking tool users can send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters.
POPULAR BLOG SITES:

• www.blogger.com
• www.thoughts.com
• www.livejournal.com
• www.xanga.com
• www.typepad.com
• www.worldpress.com
• www.diaryland.com
• www.pitas.com

Such as FACEBOOK & MYSPACE… very popular with younger people - with all social networking sites - be sure to check your settings often - as the technology changes so do the privacy setting options, making it easier for you to protect yourself and your family...

COPY (OR MOVE) FILES AND FOLDERS TO A CD or DVD

1. Insert a blank, writable CD/DVD into the CD/DVD burner.
2. Click the files or folders you want to copy (or move) to the CD/DVD. To select more than one file, hold down the CTRL key while you click the files you want.
   Under File and Folder Tasks, click Copy (or Move) this file, Copy (or Move) this folder, or Copy (or Move) the selected items.
3. In the Copy (or Move) Items dialog box, click the CD/DVD burner drive, and then click Copy (or Move).
4. Open My Computer and double-click the CD/DVD recording drive. Windows will display a temporary area where the files are held before they are copied to the CD.
5. Verify that the files and folders that you intend to copy to the CD/DVD appear under Files Ready to be Written to the CD/DVD.
6. Under CD/DVD Writing Tasks, click Write these files to CD/DVD.
7. Windows displays the CD/DVD Writing Wizard.
8. Follow the steps clearly outlined in the wizard.

Notes:

• For Audio Files - Music - we recommend using CD-R's
• Do not try to copy more files to the CD/DVD than it will hold. Check the CD/DVD packaging to see the capacity of each CD/DVD.
• For photo or Video files too large to fit on a CD, you can copy files to a recordable DVD.
• Windows XP does not support copying to a DVD, so you have to use DVD authoring software (such as Windows Media Player, Picasa 3, Roxio or others).
• Windows 7 has DVD maker software built in
• Make sure you have enough disk space on your hard disk to store the temporary files that are created during the CD/DVDwriting process. For a standard CD, Windows reserves up to 700 megabytes (MB) of the available free space. For a high-capacity CD, Windows reserves up to 1 gigabyte (GB) of the available free space
• After you copy files or folders to the CD, you can view the CD to confirm that the files have been copied.