TeachMeInternet Blog

Better quality search hits

2009-07-07T14:16:00.015-04:00

Are you searching for authoritative information online, but getting overwhelmed with irrelevant results from Google?

You can try other search engines, but if you insist on sticking with Google, try using one of these filters:

1. Site filter - Add one of the following to your search term: site:edu or site:gov or site:org
Note - no space between the letters and the colon, and no "dot" needed before the suffix.

Why use this? Think about where authoritative information comes from - educational institutions (websites ending in .edu), government agencies (.gov) and professional organizations and associations (.org)

Here's an example of a regular search for herbal supplements:

Now here's the same search on sites that end in edu:

And on government sites:

These screenshots may be a little hard to read, so feel free to go to Google and try these searches on your own. One thing that you CAN easily notice, though, is that the site:edu and site:gov results have no sponsored links (which are ads) while the regular Google search has lots of them along the right-hand side.

2. Filetype filter - Add one of the following to your search term: filetype:pdf or filetype:ppt
... again, no spaces between letters and colon.

Why use this? Journal articles and other educational documents are typically in pdf format. As for ppt (powerpoint) format, these usually originate from educational presentations that have been uploaded online.

Here's what my search results looked like when I filtered by filetype:

PDF:

Powerpoint (ppt):

Will the above types of filters guarantee accurate, reliable search results? No.

But you will get better overall quality of your search results.

BTW this works on the Yahoo search engine as well.

Try one or more of these filters. Then leave a comment here on how you made out. ;-)

Pauline

teachmeinternet.com

2009-06-09T11:46:00.005-04:00

Is your email inbox overflowing? There IS something you can do about it. Here are 2 ways to handle it:

1. Create rules within your email program. You may already have your spam filter enabled. This is simply a rule built into your email program, which sends messages identified as spam to a specific folder.

You can set rules for other messages as well, which bypass your inbox and send the messages directly to a designated folder or to the trash.

For example:

If you subscribe to listservs or other email lists, you can have them automatically sent to one folder, or a separate folder for each list.
On the lists you subscribe to, if there are people who continually post annoying or offensive messages, you can set your email program to delete messages from those people before they even appear in your inbox.
Tired of those stupid jokes forwarded by Aunt Betty, but don't have the heart (or the guts) to ask her to stop sending them? Create a rule that will send all messages from Aunt Betty to the trash. OR, you can specify that only certain messages from her go to the trash - such as those with FW: in the subject line (or however your email program displays forwarded messages.)

For specific instructions on how to create rules, click on the Help section of your email program,

2. Subscribe to newsletters, ezines, email lists and website updates on the web.

The most convenient way to read these is via RSS feeds (RSS stands for "really simple syndication.") Here's how they work:

A website or blog owner sets up their content to be distributed as a "feed" to the web. You can pick up feeds from dozens - or hundreds - of sources and read them all on one page in your web browser.

You'll need an RSS reader, which you can set up for free. Try Google Reader, Netvibes or Bloglines.

Whenever you come across web content that you would like to subscribe to, look for the little orange RSS symbol like you see in the upper right corner of this page, and click on the link that says "subscribe."

Next time you open your RSS reader, all the updated content will be there for you. If you were getting updates via email, you can cancel them - thus making your inbox all that much lighter.

Not all email list services offer RSS feeds, unfortunately. But most of them do have web interfaces, where you can read the messages at the list archives page, rather than in your email.

Even though this is not as convenient as RSS (because you need to go to a separate web page for each list that you subscribe to) there is an advantage over downloading list messages to your inbox. If you read the messages online, you can access them from any computer that is connected to the Internet.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

New Google search options

2009-05-18T13:57:00.005-04:00

Most people don't know that Google has some pretty cool advanced search tools. Here's a screenshot of what you'll see if you click on "Advanced search" next to the Google Search box:

Now, many of those functions can be accessed right on the search results page, by clicking "Show options" at the top of your search results, as circled in red below. (Since this is only an image, not an actual search page, the link won't work here.)

To get an idea of what these search options can do for you, watch this video:

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Think big, with mind mapping

2009-03-29T10:09:00.005-04:00

Do you sometimes get "big" ideas that don't get implemented? Maybe it's because they need to be fleshed out with details and tasks.

To help organize your thoughts, you can diagram them on paper, with ideas and sub-ideas branching out in different directions. But this gets quite messy looking, especially if you decide to move things around or add lots of detail.

Mind-mapping software helps control the clutter. It also enables you to share your ideas and brainstorm with others.

Mind mapping can be used for:

Writing projects - keep track of ideas for books, theses, reports, etc.
Business development - organize goals, assignments and tasks
Event planning - coordinate preparations for weddings, parties, vacations, and other events
Weighing alternatives - compare different scenarios and what-ifs
Organizing collections of documents or web links

Here are some free sources to check out:

Mind-mapping software to download to your computer:

Freemind - Open-source softwarre with lots of features, but aimed at the single user, rather than for group brainstorming. At the freemind website you'll find screenshots, tutorials and discussion groups.

XMind - Free and paid versions of mind mapping software. The paid version has more features, of course, including customization and the ability to export your mind map to other formats.

Online mind mapping tools that work in your web browser (thus accessible from any computer connected to the Internet):

Mind42 - Comprehensive tool that allows sharing and embedding into websites

Bubbl.us - Easy to use, laid out in colored shapes. Allows sharing and embedding into websites

Gliffy - Create your own flow charts, using a selection of shapes, images and arrows.

Want to learn more about mind mapping? Visit mind-mapping.org and mindmapsearch.org.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Fun illusions

2009-03-15T17:24:00.002-04:00

Here are a few illusions you might enjoy. They occur because of the way our brains process information. Have your speakers turned on for the videos.

First some optical illusions - even when you know how they work, your brain still fools your eyes!

Get more information and explanations of how illusions work at Professor Michael Bach's website.

Now here are some auditory illusions.

Several of the above illusions are explained here.

And now here's one that you're fooled only with your eyes open:

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Check weather, road conditions and traffic cams

2008-12-22T07:09:00.012-05:00

I just got back from a 400-mile car trip with my daughter Janis. We drove through some fairly bad weather and snow-covered roads, but thanks to the Internet we were well prepared.

Prior to leaving we looked up hourly weather reports and road conditions. And along the way, using Janis's web-enabled cellphone, we checked traffic cams for real-time pictures of where we were headed.

These helped us decide which route to take. (BTW, nothing looked good, so we chose the road less traveled...)

If you want to check weather and road conditions for your next trip, here are some ways to do it:

1. Google search - use search terms such as:
[town or city] weather - e.g., Denver weather
[geographical area] road conditions - e.g. western New York road conditions
[location] traffic cam - e.g. Florida turnpike traffic cam

2. For up-to-the-minute road conditions and construction zones, check your state or provincial department of transportation.

Here's a link to those in the USA

. . . and in Canada

Both USA and Canada

If you're in another country, search your federal or regional government's website for road and traffic information.

3. See maps and charts of developing weather conditions at weather.com and Weather Underground.

Both of these have applications for your mobile phone

Keep in mind that weather is not totally predictable, and that conditions could be better or worse than expected.

Thus, be prepared. These brochures will give you some guidelines:
Ohio Dept of Public Safety: Winter Driving Tips
Alaska Dept of Public Safety: What's So Different About Winter Driving?
Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Homemade gifts are back in style

2008-12-08T07:34:00.009-05:00

50 years ago the term "homemade" implied inferior. Back then, mass production made more uniform (and therefore more 'perfect') items.

But homemade is making a comeback. As the world becomes more automated and impersonal, home-made is a welcome reminder of the human touch. And YOUR homemade gifts are a part of YOU - they represent your individuality, your personality and your love.

. . . Something to think about in this gift-giving season.

Here are some ideas for home-made gifts:

Cookies: How many chocolate chip cookie recipes do you really need? How about 50 all on one website? There you'll find recipes for Amish cookies, low-fat, slice-and-bake and more and more chocolate chip cookies. Fill a glass jar or mixing bowl with the cookies and wrap a ribbon around it.

Bread mixes: Commercial mixes for homemade bread are expensive. You put together such mixes yourself for just pennies - and make a wide variety that cannot be found in stores. Cookingbread.com has great photos with step-by-step instructions that even novices can follow.

To make a gift, simply mix the dry ingredients and put them in a self-sealing bag. Include instructions for adding liquids (for both bread machines and regular oven baking) and put everything in a loaf pan or a basket.

Other food gifts: Spiced nuts, granola mixes, your favorite brownie or muffin mix. If you don't have a favorite recipe, you can find good ones by one of these search strategies:
1. Add the word "winners" to your search - you're apt to get recipes that came out on top in contests.
2. Use a clustering search engine such as clusty.com, which will yield a list of sub-categories for your search.
3. Search the Yahoo Directory (not search engine) for recipes. You'll get links to main recipe hubs.

Of course, there is more to home-made than food. You can make soap, candles, sachets, photo calendars, and more. Here are some websites to give you ideas:

Familyfun.com shows a handy list of categories - last-minute gifts, gifts for pets, for kids, and for teachers. They also have some interesting ideas for wrapping your gifts.

HowStuffWorks.com has lots of gifts that kids can make.

Make-Stuff.com is a goldmine of ideas - not just for gifts, but for cleaning and personal care products, as well as recycling old items. (Did you know there are over 20 things you can do with old CDs?)

Don't have time to make gifts? Think again. For just one afternoon you would have spent shopping, you could whip up several one-of-a-kind presents that cannot be found in stores.

But if you really don't have time, or if you really don't enjoy making things, you can still give something hand-made. Try Etsy.com or TenThousandVillages.com, where you'll find craft items from all over the world.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Save money with "daily deals"

2008-11-19T13:51:00.005-05:00

If you want your money to stretch further this holiday season, check out some of the "daily deal" websites. Some post only one item per day; others offer a list.

If you don't find anything today, and don't want to keep checking back, most of these websites offer email alerts or RSS feeds (where you can view deals from several websites through a single RSS reader such as Google reader.)

Note: Unlike traditional stores, the return policies at these deals sites are quite restrictive - So it's best to be familiar with the product before clicking to buy.

Here are a few sites to get you started:

Woot - Their motto is one deal, one day. Highly popular, with lots of community interaction. Worth a visit just to read the product descriptions.

Yahoo Shopping - has partnered with Woot, offering a different deal of the day.

DailySteals - Similar to Woot. Also, you can post their affiliate link on your own website, and get a commission if someone buys after clicking to DailySteals.

DailyDollarDeal - Lists items from eBay and Amazon that have not sold - all under a dollar. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with them; the items may have been misspelled or miscategorized in the original listing.

If you want to save time in your deal hunting, visit one of the deal-of-the-day aggregators that show deals from several websites all at once:

DealSucker - checks for new deals every 20 seconds.

Deal of the Day Tracker - Also includes a list of links from sites they don't track, but which some people may be interested in.

Dealque - A social networking site, where bargains are posted by site users.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Sharing documents online

2008-11-16T11:10:00.005-05:00

Sharing documents with others has never been easier. And you have lots of options:

1. Send as an attachment in email.

If all you want to do is to send a document in its final form to just to one person or a small group, email attachment is the simplest. However, there are limitations:

Many Internet service providers limit the size of the attachment - so if your file size exceeds the limit, you won't be able to send it this way.
Even if you are able to send large files, they may clog the recipients' inboxes - either by hogging space (and potentially filling up the allotted capacity) or by slowing message retrieval time.
If you are requesting suggestions from several people for changes to the document, the back-and-forth emailing can become quite complicated and confusing.

2. Use a file upload/storage/transmission service.

Upload your file to yousendit.com, megaupload.com, sendthisfile.com or similar free file transfer services. You can specify a recipient, who gets an email with a private link to download your file. Or, you can copy the link yourself and post it in your email or on your webiste.

Note: For the free versions of many of these services, the file that you uploaded is destroyed after a few days. To keep it accessible indefinitely, you must sign up for a paid account.

Another option is to simply get a free files storage account at box.net or skydrive. Upload your files, create shared folders and send people the link.

The above services solve the file-size issue, but they are not meant to be used for online collaboration.

3. Share files directly online.

If you want others to edit a document as well as view it, use a document collaboration service. Everyone with password-protected access sees the same updated version of the file, and can make changes.

There are many commercial services that provide secure workspace for group projects, but for your purposes the free options may suffice:

Google Docs has provided this service for a few years. Now Microsoft has come up with their own online file storage/collaboration product Office Live Workspace. Here's a feature-by-feature comparison of the two.

A third option worth looking at is Zoho.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

My Favorite Audio Podcasts

2008-10-17T09:23:00.006-04:00

I love audio podcasts. They are easy to load into my mp3 player, and I can listen on the go. No need to be tethered to my computer as with Youtube videos. (I know - newer iPods and other players can show videos - but my aging eyes do not enjoy those teensy screens.)

There are thousands and thousands of podcasts to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order):

From NPR:

This American Life - Ira Glass's award-winning series in a class by itself.

Fresh Air with Terry Gross - You'd think that Terry is sitting right there with her guest experts discussing their books, their films or their music - but she's never met most of them in person. They converse from different studios in different parts of the world.

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me - A news quiz show with a humorous twist (comedienne Paula Poundstone is a frequent guest.)
Story Corps - Everyday people interviewing one another about their lives. Heartwarming and poignant.
Here's a list of all NPR podcasts

From Scientific American:

60-Second Science - Amazing how much information can be packed into one minute. Learn about the latest scientific research, and how it impacts our lives. Before you dismiss this podcast as dry and boring, have a listen. The reports are timely, interesting, and easy to digest (especially the segments reported by Karen Hopkin, like this one)
60-Second Psych - Reports research on the mind and brain, in a conversational style similar to 60-second Science.

Comedy:

The Onion Radio News - One-minute "fake news" that's more fake than Jon Stewart's Daily Show. Each "news" item is a spoof that pokes fun at our culture.

HBO - Standup Comedy, Bill Maher and other entertainers

Stories:

The Moth Podcast - Entertaining true stories, 15-20 minutes long, performed at The Moth, a story-telling venue that sells out within 48 hours of program announcements.
New Yorker Fiction - short stories by John Cheever, Vladimir Nabokov, and less well-known authors. Also, discussions of novels and short stories.

These are just a few of the many, many podcasts available for free.

To find podcasts that match your taste and interests, you can search from within iTunes (you need to have the iTunes program on your computer. Get it here.)

Or you can search one of the popular podcast directories:
Podcastdirectgory.com
Podcast Alley
Podscope.com
Podcast411

With most podcasts you can listen online or download to your computer - and later transfer to your personal music player.

If you subscribe to podcasts, you'll get updates every time you open up your podcast reader - either an RSS reader like Google Reader or iTunes.

You can subscribe from the website of the podcast you're interested in - simply look for the link to subscribe (like the one at the top of this page.) Or you can subscribe from within the iTunes store.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Psychological Research highlights from the APA convention

2008-08-17T06:43:00.005-04:00

I'm writing from Boston, where the annual American Psychological Association is just winding up.

Because I'm involved in a number of boards and committees, and had to attend many hours of meetings, I missed much of the programming.

Actually I missed MOST of the programming - the program schedule was over 600 pages!

But thanks to the wonderful technology of the internet, I can catch some of the highlights afterwards - and so can you!

At the APA website are links to interviews and news items reporting the latest research. For example:

How the Democratic Party has stumbled in getting its messages across.
The role of food marketing in the rise of obesity, and why rising food prices won't make much difference.
How to be happier
Students that DON'T cheat - what do they have in common?

My favorite, of the few sessions that I did attend, was Malcolm Gladwell's keynote address.

Gladwell is the author of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, and has a new book coming out this fall.

In all his writing he takes a refreshing, inquisitive approach to issues that affect our perceptions and decisions in ways that we're typically unaware of.

Throughout the convention, reporters from major news agencies have been attending sessions and taking notes. Find their stories by going to Google News or Yahoo News - Enter the following into the search box, and peruse the results:

"American Psychological Association" convention

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Food that fools your tastebuds

2008-07-22T12:59:00.019-04:00

I love things that look like something else - you know those trompe l'eoil (French for "fool the eye") paintings, or furniture items cleverly shaped as other objects or animals.

You can create a similar effect with food - except not only are you fooling the eye; you're also fooling the taste buds.

Here's an example: These "cupcakes" on the right are actually little meatloaves iced with colored mashed potatoes. Get the recipe here.

Fool-the-eye-and-tastebuds recipes are popular on April Fool's Day and Halloween but they're just as much fun in the summer - especially if you have kids who are complaining of boredom. Recruit them into helping you create meals and snacks that don't taste like they look.

This activity actually has educational value: It will stimulate your kids' creativity and flexible thinking.

Just one ground rule:
Make sure that people with certain food allergies are not fooled into eating something that is not safe for them. For example, in this pizza, the "mushrooms" are really cashews - and can be dangerous for people with nut allergies.

Here's the recipe, by the way, from Family Fun Magazine:
1 teaspoon each of strawberry and apricot jam
Flour tortilla, individual size
Black licorice stick
Fruit Roll-Ups, 1 green roll
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
Cashew halves
In a small bowl, stir together the two jams until well mixed. Spread the jam on the tortilla, staying away from the very outer edge so it will resemble a pizza crust.

Slice the licorice stick to resemble black olives and cut the fruit roll into pepper strips.

Microwave the white chocolate at half power for 1-minute intervals, stirring the candy each time to see if it's melted (the chips won't change shape on their own).

Make sure the spoon is dry, as water will affect the candy's creaminess. Quickly spread the melted white chocolate on the pizza.

Pile on the olives and peppers, then arrange the cashews to look like mushrooms. Makes one pizza.

MORE FUN RECIPES:

Meringue Mushrooms

These take a bit of finagling with a pastry tube. Perfect activity to keep occupied for an afternoon.
Get the recipe here.

"Hamburger" cookies

4 drops green food coloring
1/2 teaspoon water
1/4 cup flaked coconut
48 vanilla wafers
24 chocolate covered thin mints
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
In a bowl, combine food coloring with a few drops of water. Add coconut and cover the container, shake until coconut is tinted. Set aside.
Place 1/2 of the vanilla wafers, flat side up, in an ungreased cookie sheet. Top each wafer with a peppermint patty. Place in the oven about 1 minute or just until chocolate begins to soften.
Remove cookies from oven and sprinkle each mint with 1/2 teaspoon coconut (for lettuce). Place another vanilla wafer on top and press gentle. With a clean paint brush, brush the top of each hamburger with just enough water to moisten so that the sesame seeds will stick when sprinkled on top of each cookie.
NOTE: You can use canned chocolate frosting in place of peppermint patty, then eliminate the baking.

Kitty Litter Cake - I admit this looks disgusting, but that's precisely why it could be a good project for a pre-teens who love to dare one another with ewwy and icky things.

1 (18 oz.) box spice or German chocolate cake mix
1 (18 oz.) box white cake mix
1 pkg. white sandwich cookies
1 large box vanilla instant pudding mix
12 small tootsie rolls
1 litter box (preferably a brand NEW one!)
1 plastic scoop
green food coloring

Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions (any size pans).
Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble.
Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in blender, they tend to stick, so scrape often. Set aside all but about 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops green food coloring and mix using a fork or shake in a jar.
When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl.
Toss with half the remaining white cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. You probably won’t need all of the pudding, mix with the cake and “feel” it, you don’t want it soggy, just moist; gently combine.
Put mixture into clean litter box.Put three unwrapped Tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie rolls and bury in mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top. Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top, this is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter.
Heat remaining Tootsie Rolls, three at a time in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with cookie crumbs.
Place the box on a newspaper and sprinkle a few of the cookie crumbs around. Serve with a new pooper scooper.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Find novelty in close-to-home vacations

2008-07-08T11:54:00.004-04:00

If fuel prices have put a crimp on your vacation plans, chances are you can find some interesting things to do within a couple hours' drive from your home.

Roadside America is a one-stop shop for planning out your trip. They have maps with roadside attractions marked. You can search by state or by city. Here's a screenshot of Artkansas:

You can also book hotels at Roadsideamerica.com. But if you want to stay at a place that is unique, try Unusual Hotels of the World. There you'll find castles, caves, fantasy themes and more - many at quite affordable prices.

Looking for places to eat that are not your typical chain restaurants, and that won't suck your wallet dry? Try RoadFood.com. It's run by a team of volunteers dedicated to finding great local eateries along the highways and back roads.

For free or low-cost fun, try factory tours. At Factory Tours USA you can search for factories by geographical area, or by type of manufacturer. Some factories allow you to watch products being made; others (e.g., Hershey Chocolate, Harley-Davidson) have visitor centers, which are more like exhibits. Here's a partial list of factory tours in Canada. For others, just search for "factory tour" [your region] in any search engine.

Have a great summer!

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Energy calculators and tips

2008-06-28T17:01:00.004-04:00

In his science project, 10-year-old Wynn Brower of Indiana showed that turning off his family's four computers would save $1 per day. That may not sound like much, but it adds up over a year's time.

Wynn then took his findings to the local county council and demonstrated that they could save $25,000 per year by turning off their 550 computers every night. Read the story here.

Here are some websites to calculate how much energy you use, and how to reduce your fuel costs:

For your home:

Home Energy Saver: Project sponsored by the U.S. Dept of Energy. Calculate energy use. Get tips on heating and cooling, appliances, electronics, insulation and landscaping.

Energy Star: Joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Get energy performance ratings of appliances, tips on energy-efficient home improvements, and more. There's also a kids' section that teaches children about energy conservation.

Carroll Energy Solution offers 365 ways to save energy

For your car:

Fuel cost calculator: from U.S. Dept of Energy. Estimate how much you'll spend on fuel per year, or for the life of your car. Explore other functions at this site - see the best and worst fuel-efficient cars, print out a fuel economy guide, find gas prices and gas mileage tips.

Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency: Calculate fuel costs in liters or gallons, per mile or kilometer

Going on a car trip? At the AAA website, calculate your fuel costs based on current gas prices and your car's model and year.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Why you might want to find old web pages

2008-05-23T07:31:00.008-04:00

When searching the Internet, most of the time you will seek the most recent and updated pages.

But there are times when you want to fine older web pages:

1. You land on a page that says "Not found" or "Cannot be displayed."

2. The news story that you read a few weeks or moths ago is no longer there.

3. You want to see how a topic was covered at various times in recent history.

4. You want to see what a website looked like previously - either out of curiosity or for research purposes.

Here are some places online where you can find web pages that have been pulled or changed:

Google cache - Google takes a picture of each page that it adds to its index. If you click on a link and the page cannot be found, go back to the search results and look for the word "cached" under the link that you just clicked on (see screenshot below.) If there is such a link, click on it to view the older page.

Note: Most publishers and news outlets have opted out of having their pages listed in Google cache, in order to protect access to their older articles. This is because many publishers charge a small fee for archived articles.

Google news archive - Here you can find news stories from specific points in recent history, with related stories from various sources all grouped together. You can also get a broader view of a timeline of news coverage.

For example, Here's the result of my search for "gas prices"

When I clicked on the little blue arrow at the left to see earlier dates, and then clicked on 1931, I saw several news items about Standard Oil cutting its price to 12 cents a gallon!

Internet Archive Wayback Machine - This is the archive of the whole Internet (except for websites where the owners opted out of being included.) There are over 85 billion pages, including text, audio, movies and software.

Here you can find earlier versions of most websites - for example, you see what the very first Yahoo search engine looked like. But the main purpose of this archive is for scholarly research. Scholars can study the development of the Internet and how people use it.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Online tutorials for popular software

2008-04-26T08:50:00.004-04:00

Would you like to get more out of your favorite computer programs? Would you like to learn how to design a website, install computer parts, or network your computers?

For just about everything you want to learn, you can find tutorials online. Tutorials walk you through the process, step by step. There are tutorials in text, in audio, in pictures, and in video - Choose the medium that works best for your learning style.

To find tutorials for a specific program or task, do a simple search engine search. Your search terms will look something like these:
microsoft excel tutorial
web design tutorial html video
powerpoint mac tutorial step by step

If you want to browse tutorials on a wide range of topics, here are a few "hubs":

InPictures - Simple pictorial examples of common tasks that you might do on Microsoft Office programs, OpenOffice.org, web layout, web graphics, and web programming

Intelligentedu.com - Mainly technical topics related to programming and web design

Microsoft.com - tutorials for Microsoft program. There are also tutorials especially for teachers and classrroms.

Newark Public Library - Basic beginner's guides to email, internet, Microsoft Word and other programs

Lynda.com - A subscription-based tutorial hub ($25/month.) Sign up for a free 1-day subscription to get access to over 28,000 video tutorials for $25/month. There are also free sample tutorials and podcasts.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Lessons from geese

2008-04-04T06:52:00.003-04:00

Check out this 2-minute video from the ad agency, Saatchi & Saatchi. Used to motivate teams in business and in athletics, it shows important lessons that we can all learn from geese.

Make sure your speakers are on, and sit back and enjoy.

How will you use this lesson from geese in your life today?

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Free samples online - Know the "cost"

2008-03-22T11:04:00.003-04:00

On the Internet you can get all kinds of free samples - cosmetics, candy, food, household products, cold remedies, pet food, and more.

Of course, you know why manufacturers do this. They hope that after trying their products, you will continue to buy them.

But there is even more advantage to manufacturers offering free samples online.

Here's why: When you specifically request a sample, you are identifying yourself to the manufacturer as a member of their target market.

They may ask for your age, gender and other demographic information, which will help them focus their marketing efforts later on. And in order to ship the item to you, they get your physical mailing address. They usually ask for your email address as well.

Before giving up your personal information and email address, understand that you may be contacted later by the manufacturers and their "partners" (a euphemism for companies who buy their mailing lists.)

Here are some guidelines when signing up for complimentary samples:

1. Do not use your regular email address, because you may be bombarded with more "offers." Get a free email account at Hotmail or Gmail just for this purpose. Or use a disposable email address such as Mailinator or Pookmail.

2. In all fairness, cooperate with their request for demographic info - e.g., age, etc. In exchange for a free product, your info will help the manufacturer understand its market.

3. Beware of so-called free offers of expensive items, such as brand-name electronic products, pricey leather goods, vacations, etc. If you read the fine print, you may see that you are merely being entered in a drawing for the item. Or, you may have to sign up for several mailing lists in order to see the free offer.

4. On the page where you sign up for the sample, look for an option that says something like, "Please send me more offers." If that option is already checked off for you, uncheck it.

Now that you're an educated consumer, here are some places to get free samples:

dailyedeals.com

all-free-samples.com

freesampleforager.com

nojunkfree.com - includes free samples in Canada and U.K.

For more free samples, use a search engine to search for "free samples". You can also add your country. Thus, if you're looking for free samples in Italy, search for: "free samples" Italy.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Time-saving shortcuts for common web tasks

2008-03-09T11:24:00.006-04:00

If you've been using the Internet for a while, you have probably developed certain habits in how you do things.

Take a look at some of these shortcuts. They won't save enough time for you to read War and Peace, but a few seconds here and there does make you more efficient.

COPY, PASTE AND SAVE BITS OF TEXT FROM THE WEB

The old way: Drag your mouse to highlight text. Copy text and paste text to a new document in your word processor. Save document. Hope that you remember the filename you assigned it and where you saved it.

The new way: Drag your mouse to highlight text. Use one of the instant web clipboards to copy and save in one step.

Tools:
Google Notebook
Clipmarks

FILLING IN WEB FORMS

The old way: Type your name, address, email, etc. in the form whenever you order something or subscribe to something online. If your password is needed, you guess or look it up.

The new way: Use an automatic form filler that saves your data in a private file on your computer.

Tools:
Roboform
Firefox extensions (search for form filler)
Internet Explorer add ons (search for form filler)

READING NEWS AND BLOGS:

The old way: Visit one news or blog site after another. Check to see if there is any new content.

The new way: Use an RSS reader (RSS = "really simple syndication") to see all your favorite blog updates and news feeds in one single window. If there is new content, it is automatically displayed.

Tools
Google Reader
Bloglines

SEARCH ENGINE SEARCHING

The old way: Type google.com (or other search engine) into your URL box. Wait for the page to load. Type in your search terms and hit enter to get search results.

The new way: Use the search box built into your browser. Firefox, Safari, and the latest version of Internet Explorer have a search box in the upper right corner of the browser window. You can even add more search tools.

Or, download and install your favorite search engine's add-on toolbar, which sits at the top of your browser window at all times. In addition to giving you a box to enter your search terms, the toolbars can be customized to block popups, display security warnings, and have links to your favorite websites

Tools:
Google toolbar
Yahoo toolbar
Dogpile toolbar

ACCESS TO REFERENCE TOOLS, CALCULATOR, WEATHER REPORTS, FLIGHT INFO

The old way: Go to a search engine. Search for dictionaries, encyclopedias, weather, maps, etc. and click to visit the website. Enter your information and get the result.

The new way:

Download and customize a search engine toolbar (see above)
Or, use "widgets" or "gadgets" that you download to your desktop. These are mini-applications that connect you to online services, giving you direct access to calculators, news feeds, work time recorders, sticky notes, stock prices, games and more.

Tools:
Widgets are already installed in Mac operating systems, and in Windows Vista. There are hundreds more at the Apple and Microsoft websites.

You can also use Yahoo Widgets or Google Desktop Gadgets.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Electronic Health Records - A good thing?

2008-02-24T09:23:00.003-05:00

Last week Google announced that they were partnering with the Cleveland Clinic to store records of 100,000 patients online.

"The ultimate goal of this patient-centered and controlled model is to give patients the ability to interact with multiple physicians, healthcare service providers and pharmacies" says the press release.
Online Personal Health Records (PHRs) are not new. Microsoft launched HealthVault last October, and there are many other systems within private medical groups and from third-party companies.

There are two major advantages of having an online PHR:

Convenience: You have ready access to all your health records - at home, when traveling, in an emergency.
Control: You authorize who sees your records. You can ensure that your records from one doctor are immediately available to another doctor.

But there is a serious downside of online PHR: the risk of loss of privacy.

This is similar to the concern that people had about their financial records a few years ago. While online databases have been successfully hacked into, there has NOT been a rash of identity thefts from such hackings. More identity thefts take place OFFline than online.

Also, your medical records are probably already on some electronic data base within your physicians' offices and clinics. Even if they are not, there is no guarantee that your paper records are 100% protected from prying eyes.

But it's more complicated than that. Privacy watchdogs such as the World Privacy Forum point out that there are additional risks with PHRs that many people are unaware of -- for example, that storing your medical records on a third party website may not be protected under HIPAA.

Here are some of their recommendations:

Don't assume that your medical records are protected no matter where they are stored.
To see if a third-party PHR is covered under HIPAA, read their privacy statement, which should disclose whether they are covered or not, and also how they will use your information. "HIPAA compliant" is not enough. It should read "HIPAA covered."
Take time to read the fine print, and pay attention to what you are authorizing and signing.

More tips are in the document: "World Privacy Forum Consumer Advisory: The Potential Privacy Risks in Personal Health Records Every Consumer Needs to Know About"

If you want the convenience of electronic records but don't want them stored online, you can always keep your own records on your computer, on a CD or on a little thumb drive. But keep in mind that these are not 100% safe either, even when protected by a password.

Bottom line: Only you can decide if the risk of PHRs is worth the convenience.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Please take a moment to write your comments on this issue.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Exercise your brain with online puzzles and brain teasers

2008-02-22T13:24:00.010-05:00

Puzzles are good for your brain.

What's this below? With all the lines filled in, it's something that you would instantly recognize. Look at it for a while, and if you're stumped, get the answer here.

If you like optical illusions and puzzles, here are some links for you:

BrainBasher s: Run by a math teacher in the UK. Thousands of brain teasers and puzzles, with new ones added regularly

Smart-Kit: Interactive games and puzzles to "cross-train" your brain.

SharpBrains: This is actually a blog on brain science and brain function. Besides puzzles and challenges, there are articles, myth debunkers and a free ebook.

Braingle: a community site, with puzzles, forums, articles and tips on improving memory and other mental functions

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Use Google's "range search" for greater specificity

2008-01-27T14:23:00.000-05:00

When you want to narrow your search to a specific range of dates or numbers, Google has special syntax to perform your search in 1 step.

For example, suppose you're looking for a new printer, costing $80 to $150. Here's what your search would look like:

printer $80..$150

Simply put 2 periods between the numbers, and Google will return hits with printers in that price range.

Want to search a range of prices within a specific website? Add site:nameofwebsite to your search. i.e.:

printer $80..$150 site:bestbuy.com

Range searching is also useful for specifying dates. Suppose you are looking for recent research on a topic, within the last two years. Your search would look something like this:

autism research 2006..2007

And if you want results only from government agencies, your search would be:

autism research 2006..2007 site:.gov

You can get all the same results by drilling down within individual websites, but this Google syntax will get you there faster.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Add, remove, rearrange pages in PDF files

2008-01-14T07:54:00.000-05:00

In a recent post I listed some free sources for converting files to PDF and other formats.

Here's a resource to rearrange pages and combine existing PDF files: PDF Hammer.

The service is still in "beta" (not ready for prime time.) They bill themselves as a PDF editor, but as far as I can tell, you can only manipulate the pages, not the text.

However, it's still handy for pulling apart pages from one PDF file and adding them to another PDF file.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Free lectures from top-notch universities

2007-12-30T08:53:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wished you could attend lectures at famous universities at no charge? Now you can, thanks to the Internet. More and more schools are posting lectures on Youtube, iTunesU and other multimedia distribution lines.

We're talking big schools here - MIT, Stanford, Berkely, Duke, Yale, Tufts and more. Most are in the USA, but there are some in the UK and Australia.

To find a lecture that suits your interests you can do a simple Google search. Include the words: free lecture video in your search.

Or, you can browse lists of universities and topics at

Education Portal
World Lecture Hall
Fathom
LectureFox (The main site was down when I wrote this, but here's the cached version, which shows links to the various schools.)

A recent article on Wired.com discusses the implications of this trend. For the intellectually curious, the selection is a goldmine. But the free lectures are also helpful to people in remote areas of the world that would not otherwise have access to quality education. Also, for high-school students exploring college options, it's a great way to sample the courses and the professors.

More educational video sources are listed in my blog post of June 24.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Free alternatives to Adobe Acrobat

2007-12-21T15:52:00.000-05:00

When you download a file in PDF format, the software that you use to read it is free. Adobe Reader (formerly Acrobat Reader) is the most popular tool for viewing PDF files, but it is not the only alternative. It can be sluggish and use lots of computer memory.

And, while Adobe provides a free reader to view PDF files, the company charges a hefty fee for their Adobe Acrobat program to create PDF files - e.g., for documents, ebooks, brochures, etc.

The Codswallop blog lists over 50 free alternatives to Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat. These include some advanced features such as encryption, compression and interactive forms. Many of the resources listed there are far more technological than I'll ever use, but just reading through them gives you an idea of all the things you can do with your content.

If all you're looking for is a quick way to convert Word to PDF, I recommend Zamzar or Media-Convert.

Fellow Mac users have PDF creation built into the Print function. Simply click to "print" your document, and in the popup window choose the PDF dropdown menu. This results in a very basic PDF document. For additional features you'll need to use Adobe or one of the programs listed in the Codwallop blog.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com