Tech Gazette

                         January 2003

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

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

Training Opportunities

Going Backwards in Power Point

Moving Windows With Keyboard

Printing Digital Pictures

What are DLL Files?

Calculated Fun

Quotations Page

International Children's Digital Library

Getting Technology Assistance

Training Opportunities

 
                          Excel January 7 3:10 p.m. US Lab
                                    Grade Quick January 15 3:10 p.m. US Lab

 

To reserve a place in either of these classes, email
          londa.posvistak@smes.org        

 

Tech Tips: Working More Effectively

     Going Backwards in a PowerPoint Slide Show

Have you considered how handy it would be to use the left mouse button to move forward one slide and use the right mouse button to move backward one slide. To do this, run PowerPoint and open a slide show. Now, choose Tools|Options.

When the Options dialog box opens, click the View tab. Deselect the check box labeled "Popup menu on right mouse click" and click OK to close the dialog box and apply your selection.

Press F5 to run the slide show and you'll find that a left click moves to the next slide, and a right click moves it back one slide. Pretty handy, huh?


-emazing.co

Moving Windows With Your Keyboard

Has this ever happened to you? You open a window only to find that you can't see the title bar up top or reach the (close) button on the top right corner! This can occur when there's a system error or sometimes a change in screen resolution, but what can you do other than ctrl/alt/del?  Try these 3 easy steps:

  1. Make sure the window has focus (i.e. it's the active window).
     
  2. Next, click Alt+Space and then press the letter M.
     
  3. Now, use your arrow keys to move the window back to where you want it.

-worldstart.com

How Large Can You Print?

The holidays are over and you've taken plenty of digital pictures. When getting prints from your desktop printer or professional photo-finishing service, be sure you are providing enough resolution for the print sizes that you select. Results vary depending on your particular printer or photo finisher, but this table can give you a ballpark figure on the maximum size print you can get from your digital image file:
                                                       Image Size  Final Print Size
                                                                          
                                                       480 x 640 pixels      4 x 6 inch
                                                       960 x 1280 pixels      5 x 7 inch
                                                      1200 x 1600 pixels      8 x 10 inch
If printing from a photo Web site, check their recommended resolution for each print size. If your digital image file is too low for the print size, the image will appear pixilated or blurry.                                                                                                                     -emazing.com

Did You Know?
Question: Sometimes, people will contact help when they want to access a software program but receive a message about missing a .dll file. What are DLL files?

Answer: DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files are basically "support" files for certain types of software. They are generally (but not always) found in your Windows System directory.

It works like this: Let's say a program needs to perform an operation. Rather than all the coding being built into the program, it uses a particular DLL file that, with a simple call, can perform the operation for it. Saves lots of programming time, especially since many of the common DLL files are already installed with Windows.

People ask about deleting these files. Well, the best advice is not to, since many of your DLL files are used by more than one program. Going through and deleting the ones you *think* aren't being used anymore is a lot like getting under the hood of your car and yanking wires that don't look important.

If you're really concerned about stray DLL files, make sure you run uninstall programs. Most programs include an uninstall program that will (should) take out all the extra DLL's.

Most of the time if you hit the Start button, Programs, then go to the program's listing, you can find an uninstall program. You can also click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel, and open the Add/ Remove programs icon. A screen will pop-up that can uninstall the software for you (again, it's not foolproof, but it's better than playing guessing games with your DLL's).


http://www.worldstart.com/

Calculated Fun

Calculators are so straightforward. Or are they?  Here is a website where you’ll find calculators meant for both the serious and fun at heart. Check it out!

Serious Calculators include Interactive Periodic Table; Tax Calculator; Scientific Calculator; Interest Calculator; Driving Distance Calculator; and Interest Rate Calculator.

Fun Calculators include Typing Test ; Typing Test 2; Ancient Chinese Birth Chart; Planetary Age Calculator; Pig Latin Converter.

Of course, we couldn't get through the holiday season without the Body Mass and Calorie Calculators...but you didn't hear this from me!

http://www.myparentime.com/calculators/calculators.shtml

 The Quotations Page

                                                

If you want to find a quote, remember the rest of a quote, use quotes as a means for inspiration, or are just plain fond of quotes, this website is for you.

The Quotations Page has many featured topics and over 15,000 quotes. There is even a search engine that you can use by keyword or author.

www.quotationspage.com

International Children’s Digital Library:
New web site provides free access to children’s books online

A new web site will make thousands of children’s books from 100 different cultures available for free to internet-savvy kids around the world. When it’s completed in about five years, the International Children’s Digital Library will hold about 10,000 books targeted at children ages 3 to 13.    

http://www.icdlbooks.org/ 

                                                                                                          www.eschoolnews.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.

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