Tech Gazette

                         December 2003

                 A Publication for SMES Faculty & Staff                                                                                                                                                                          Volume 5, Issue 4

  Table of Contents
  (clicking on an item takes you right to the feature)

Training Opportunities Microsoft Settlement Benefits DirecTV
Emailing Holiday Pictures Beating Popup Windows Microsoft OS Support Update
Internet: St. Nicholas vs. Santa Claus Technology Assistance

Training Opportunities

 Because December is such a short and busy month, there will not be any scheduled training opportunities this month. Instead,

I will offer tech support for any questions each Monday from 3:00 - 3:30 in the MS lab. This is a great opportunity to drop in, ask whatever question you've been meaning to ask, and stay as short or as long as you wish.


         londa.posvistak@smes.org        

Announcements

Consumers and Businesses May Claim Microsoft Settlement Benefits

A California judge gave preliminary approval to a landmark settlement under which Microsoft will pay $1.1 billion to settle a class-action suit that claimed it overcharged consumers for Windows. The settlement applies to consumers and businesses that acquired Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS, Office, Word, Excel, Works Suite or Home Essentials between February 18, 1995 and December 15, 2001 for use in California.

If you purchased a computer for your home or for a business, you may qualify for vouchers that can be used towards the purchase of desktop, laptop or tablet computers, printers, scanners, monitors, keyboards, pointing devices (e.g., a mouse or trackball) and generally available software made by any manufacturer.

To find out if you qualify or what steps you need to take to make a claim, go to MicrosoftCalSettlement.com or call (800) 203-9995 to request a claim form. In addition, Townsend and Townsend and Crew has set up a settlement FAQ online.

http://microsoftcalsettlement.com/

                                                                  
                                                                                      DirecTV Access
 

SMES now has access to DirecTV in the Library Resource Lab.  DirecTV provides  School Choice Programming which includes these and other stations:
 
A & E Network All News Channel Animal Planet BBC America The Biography Channel
Bloomberg Television Bravo Canal Sur Clara+Vision CNN
CNN en Espanol C-SPAN Discovery Channel Discovery en Espanol Discovery Kids Channel
Discovery Health Channel Galavision The Health Network The History Channel The Learning Channel
NASA TV National Geographic PBS PBS You The Weather Channel


For a more complete listing of all channels offered by DirecTV, visit this link: http://www.directv.com/buy/pdf/schoolchoice_channelineup.pdf

Contact the library for information on access to DirecTV.

Tech Tips

Emailing Holiday Pictures

The holidays.  It's a time to get together with family and friends. It's a time for favorite recipes. And it's a time for sharing all those great pictures you've taken. If you haven't yet mastered sending pictures via email, here's a primer for you. First, we're going to look at getting the picture to be an appropriate size for e-mail. After that, we'll actually insert an image and send it.

Image Size: Have you ever gotten a picture via e-mail that was WAY too big? Or maybe too small?  Some e-mail programs let you set the size you want the picture to be, but that's not the best way to do it. Who wants 10 meg picture file that takes 30 minutes to download when it should have only been 10 KB?

What's the "right" size? That depends on the photo. This is one of the areas that's really different than traditional print photos. Instead of knowing just the dimensions (3x5, 4x6, etc.), we're now having to determine pixel size. But don't fret, it's not that hard. Most monitors display at 72 dpi, so if you want the picture to be 5 inches wide (probably about the biggest you would want for an e-mail message) the picture would be 360 pixels wide (5 inches x 72 DPI).

How do you make the picture the right size? By using your imaging software. (Most scanners and digital cameras come with some sort of imaging software that will let you resize images.)

  • Open the picture up in your imaging software and resize the image to your desired resolution. You can usually do this via an "Image" or "Edit" menu. Your menu style and commands may very depending on your software.
  • Usually you'll get a screen that lets you input the image size in pixels. If there's a checkbox that allows you to constrain proportions, make sure that's checked (this insures that when you change the height or width the picture remains proportional).

That should do it. Since you've changed the picture size, you may want to save it under a different name. Use the Save As command under the File menu of your imaging software.

So now that you have your image at the right size, how do you actually stick it in your e-mail?

 Putting images in e-mail: Here's how to insert pictures with Outlook or Outlook Express:

  1. First, start a new message, then from the Insert menu, select Picture.
  2. A screen will come up that allows you to browse to the picture's location on whatever drive its stored.
  3. Hit OK and you're all set.


Final Notes - If you are using an e-mail client other than Outlook, you'll find that most of the information above probably still applies.

Did You Know?:

Beating Pop Up Windows

Q: Pop up windows are so annoying, especially in the classroom. Other than downloading software to get rid of it, how can I deal with pop ups?

A. I agree, pop ups are not only annoying, they can also be highly inappropriate in a classroom situation. Here are some quick ways to deal with pop
    ups:
1. The Escape Key   - When the pop up windows just keep coming, pounding on the Escape key repeatedly will stop the madness. How does it work?
    When you hit the Escape key, it's the same as hitting the Stop button in your browser. So, those pesky pop ups stop loading and you can close them. I like
    this method the best since it is a quick, one keystroke deal.

2. ALT-F4 - This is another good way to get rid of pop-ups. ALT-F4 closes the current window, effectively stopping the pop-up process in its digital tracks.

3. CTRL-W If you don't like ALT-F4 (it's kind of a stretch for small hands) then try CTRL-W. This closes things down, too.

www.worldstart.com

Microsoft Operating Systems Support Update
 

Q: I heard a rumor that Microsoft will no longer offer support on any version of Windows other than XP, which means no updates. These programs
    will just die out. Is this true?

A: Yes, it's true.

In accordance with their "Product Support Lifecycle", MS discontinued support for Windows 98 on July 1, 2003. On January 16, 2004 Win 98 will be considered obsolete. As for Win ME, "mainstream support" will end December 31, 2003, but there'll still be a two year "extended support phase", followed by at least one year of "Online self-help support".  What does that mean?

  • Mainstream support means support from real people and hotfixes.
  • Extended support means you can pay to get help from a real person while security-related hotfix support will continue at no charge. Non-security related hotfix support will cost you. Forget about warranty support, design changes, or new features.
  • Self-help online support means that the online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources will stay on the website.

For more information, you can visit the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycleconsumer.mspx.

You will be assimilated into XP—resistance is futile!

www.worldstart.com

St. Nicholas: Discovering the Truth about Santa Claus

               Miter             

Just who is Santa Claus? Are St. Nicholas and Santa Claus the same person? What are the myths of Santa Clause from different parts of the world?

This website is full of information for the curious or students who need information for a report.  You can delve deep into the history of the Santa Claus Myth and find out the truth. You can also find information on Santa throughout the world and how different cultures see him.

There are sections on how to celebrate, and games for the kids. Check it out!

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23

worldstart.com

Technology Assistance
If you need help with technology, call the helpline at ext. 697 or email help@smes.org .
               Provide as detailed description of the problem as you can, and include the best times for someone to come by.

St. Margaret's Episcopal School ~ 31641 La Novia Avenue ~ San Juan Capistrano, California  92675
St. Margaret's Main Page