| Number 9 | May 14, 1999 | ||
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As often happens, we become united in tragedy. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the medium of television really came into its own. All across the United States and even around the world, people mourned together as they watched and listened to the coverage of the tragedy and its aftermath on TV. With the latest tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, the Internet came into its own as a medium through which people can grieve together. Though unsubstantiated, we've heard rumors that AOL devoted all of its servers in Denver to news, information, and chat rooms about the tragedy, routing non-tragedy related data through other cities. And just as society has changed over the decades since Kennedy's death, so has the way we grieve. Instead of passively watching TV and mourning, chat rooms and email have given the masses a voice. In addition to the verbal outpouring of grief and sympathy have been various voices calling for stricter gun control, condemning trenchcoat mafia and goths, demanding restrictions on the Internet, calling for schools to restrict students human rights to preserve safety, and many more. Though no one has agreed with every idea and message, everyone has a chance to exercise their right to freedom of speech and the cyberwaves have literally resounded with their voices. If you have ever watched or listened to the news and disagreed or had other comments about what was being reported, now there is a public forum where you can give voice to thoughts. Is this an improvement, a step ahead in the evolution of communications? It's too soon to answer that question. The only thing we can say for sure is that, just as TV began to play a more vital role in our lives as we grieved with the Kennedys' so long ago, the Internet has begun to play a more important role as we grieve with Columbine High School and the city of Littleton. (For more information on the Columbine shootings, visit the Columbine High School Information Center web site at http://204.98.1.2/columbine/info/. For links to other web sites with Columbine related information, visit http://204.98.1.2/columbine/info/links.html. |
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| Edunotes Newsletter This newsletter is created by Brian and Maki DeLaet at Educyber, Inc. Subscriptions in the U.S. are free. Subscribe online at www.educyber.com or call (303) 268-2245. Educyber is based at: 4251 Kipling St. #190. Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 NOTE: Links and Web sites change frequently. All links and web sites were accurate at the time of publication. |
Edu
Words (a glossary for computer users) Packet: A piece of a message or file that is transmitted over a network. In addition to the data or information, a packet also carries the address of its destination. Router: A device used to connect two local area networks (LANs). A router moves packets from computer to computer and can filter and reroute packets according certain criteria. Bridge: Like a router, a bridge connects two LANs but it is "dumb" in that it can't filter or reroute packets. It simply passes on whatever comes through. Hub: Essentially, a hub is a box with several ports (places to plug into). You can connect several devices (like computers or printers) to a larger network via a hub. |
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Sure it's great to have your computer arrive with the software installed so all you have to do is plug it in (we won't get into the mess involved with plugging it in here) and turn it on. But along with that comes the weeds. Sometimes these programs load when you start your computer up, are never used, and take up RAM or hard disk space that could be used for other purposes. So what can you do with the weeds? Just as with real weeds, it's important to get them out by the roots or they could cause even bigger problems later on. If removed improperly, some weed programs can actually slow down your computer or even render it inoperable. But if you exercise caution while removing these weeds, there is little to fear. The easiest way to remove a well-designed program is to use the uninstall program that came with it. Look in the folder where the program is to see if there is a file called uninstall. If there is a CD with the program, look for an uninstall program there. Windows users can look in the Add/Remove control panel (Start Settings Control Panel) for the program(s) they want to remove. If the program to be removed appears on the list, click it and then click o.k. If you have a program that you want to keep but you don't want it to start when you turn the computer on, take it out of the start up folder. Mac Users should look in the System Folder for the folder labeled Startup Items. The icons in this folder should just be aliases or shortcuts so removing them from the startup folder won't delete them from the computer. Windows users will probably find their start up items on the C drive in Windows/Start Menu/ Programs / StartUp directory. Again these are shortcuts, not the programs themselves, so deleting them shouldn't hurt the actual program. Deleting these weeds can improve the speed of your computer, especially if you have less than 32 MB of RAM. Windows users may also find weeds in their system tray (the area where the clock is on the task bar). Often you can get rid of these weeds by right clicking them, choosing exit, and choosing No when asked if you want this program to automatically load into your system tray at startup. This summer, as you pull the weeds out of your yard to keep it pleasant looking, why not pull the weeds from your computer to make your computing experience more pleasant? When presenting your information, whether it is a family newsletter or an important presentation for your boss, it is important to make it visually pleasing and easy to understand. Using columns and tables can help you communicate more effectively, and they're easy to use. In Word you can find them on the Standard Toolbar (if you can't see this toolbar, click the View menu, point at Toolbars, and click on Standard). To create multiple columns in a new document, click the columns button and drag your mouse from left to right until you get to the number of columns you want and then release the mouse. If you're working with a normal, letter-sized page and are typing text, you won't want to have more than four columns. Two or three are usually the most effective. To convert existing text to columns, highlight the text you want to be in columns and then click on the columns button and highlight the number of columns before letting go of the mouse. You have to be careful using columns with part of a document as Word often tries to change the whole document to columns. Make sure you save the file before you start adding columns and then, if you don't like the results, don't save it. Tables are an even more effective way of presenting information. The easiest way to make a table is by clicking on the table button and highlighting the number of columns and rows you want. Word will automatically space the columns evenly across the page and make each row one line tall. You can format the table any way you want but we find it most effective to add your information first and then to format it. Word provides a wide range of formats for you to choose from. To let Word do most of the work for you, right click anywhere in your table and choose Table Autoformat. Click the format you like and view it in the Preview window before making your choice. If you choose a format and then change your mind, you can always go back and change the table. To avoid unpleasant surprises, be sure before you click OK whether you want Word to resize your columns to fit your data. If you've got the columns where you want them, make sure the Autofit checkbox is not checked or each column will be shrunk to the width of the longest item in that column. Everyone has their preferences and, when making tables, we prefer the simplicity of Grid 1 or Grid 4. You can make other changes to tables by merging and splitting cells. To merge two or more cells, highlight them with the mouse, right click, and choose merge cells, Similarly, to split a cell, highlight it, right click it, and choose split cell. If you've been using the tab key to make columns and tables, try using these built in tools to make your life easier. |
Does this put our youth at risk? It needn't. In our role, either as teacher or parent, we strive to impart values and responsibility to the youth under our care, giving them ever more freedom to act as they demonstrate their ability to make wise and responsible decisions. It is crucial that we now fully understand that, just because they haven't left our home or classroom doesn't mean our youth aren't exploring the world beyond the physical boundaries that surround them. Just as you don't leave a young person on his or her own until they've demonstrated the maturity to handle themselves, you shouldn't allow them to wander the web on their own lest they get lost or involved with the wrong crowd. In short, when your kids go online, make sure you go with them, at least until they've learned to surf safely. It's as simple as making sure that when they begin to venture into cyber space on their own, you follow up, talking to them about the places they've gone and the things they've learned. By all means, we should encourage young people to express themselves and allow them to create their own webpages if they are so inclined. But we should follow them there as well. Read and view what your young people have created and talk to them about it. This isn't an intrusion on their space but an opportunity to talk with them about their perspectives on life and other matters. The two young men who massacred twelve of their peers and a teacher at Columbine had been online both to find information to help them towards their twisted goals and to publish some of their ideas. It would be too easy to point the finger at adults, whether parents or teachers, and say they could have, they should have, done something. What we can do is take steps with the young people in our lives, whether as parent, teacher, coach, or other role model, to show an interest in them and to lead them down the road to responsibility, whether in cyberspace or in other relationships. If you are concerned that a young person you know may be involved with violence, visit the American Psychological Association's HelpCenter at http://helping.apa.org/warningsigns/ http://www.allabouthome.com/ You'll be overwhelmed by the amount of information this site provides on all aspects of home repair. Created by ServiceMaster Residential and Commercial Services, this site provides expert tips for home care, cleaning, repair, restoration, pest control . any and every aspect of maintaining your house. For example, here are the topics covered under Troubleshooting Garbage Disposals; - Safety Tip - Troubleshooting a Garbage Disposal - You can't turn on the motor. - Motor hums, but unit doesn't grind. - The disposal continuously blows fuses. - You can't stop the disposal. - The disposal drains slowly. - The disposal is making an unusual amount of noise. - There is a leak in the disposal. There are sections on appliances, cleaning, lawn care, plumbing and many more. If you're worried about the Y2K problem, they've got lots of tips for helping you make sure you are prepared. There's even an opportunity to enter their spring sweepstakes from the website. Before calling a professional to fix your problem, check this site out. A little bit of research at this site and a bit of work by you could save a lot of time and/or money. The Dilbert Zone http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/ Have you been taking work too seriously? Visit the Dilbert Zone and let your hair down. You can view the days' comic strip as well as vote on the list of the day, view the list archives (several chuckles to be found here), read a month's worth of Dilbert or sound off about your own Dilbert-like experiences. You also ought to subscribe to the Dilbert Newsletter (published by Dogbert's New Ruling Class) so that you won't be left behind when Dogbert conquers the world. One of the funniest parts about the Dilbert Zone are the true stories littered throughout the site. Many of the list stories lay claim to truthfulness as do the unbelievable entries in resumania (excerpts from people's resumes). Should you be asked to rewrite your company's mission statement, Dilbert can be quite helpful at getting just the right number of big words that say nothing. Stop by for a quick laugh or stick around and explore Dilbert's world. |
This Newsletter is published by Educyber. For more information, or to subscribe, call (303) 268-2245 or Email edunotes@educyber.com ©1999 Educyber,Inc.