SQUIB - The Pelarious eNewsletter

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SQUIB – the Pelarious eNewsletter.

The Pelarious Experts provide product reviews, website reviews, tech news, and more to keep your technology sensors sharp.

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Adobe Training - Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, GoLive

Technology News and Information

August 2005: in this issue...

1) Widget Wonders Part 2
2) Adobe Illustrator Tip: Managing Workspaces
3) The Internet Can Be Better

Widget Wonders

Widgets are getting better and the list is getting longer all the time. (As of this writing there are 1,081 different widgets.) Keeping with our "Back to School" theme, we've included some great widgets for the student of any age.

Flags of the World
Flags is the perfect widget for any student of geography or world traveler. Once you've chosen from the widget's list of countries, that nation's flag is displayed. The flag's image is from the CIA's World Fact Book 2005 and a single click to the flag will pop open your browser to the CIA's web site to display the information about the country.

News Grab-R
Keeping up on current events is a no-brainer with the News Grab-R widget. A drop down selector enables you to choose news articles from 10 different news agencies. RSS feeds from your news agency of choice is imported into the widget. A list of articles appears and a single click will take you to your browser to read more of the article.

Answers Widget
No matter what topic interests you, this widget can offer an answer. The Answer widget works when you type in a search term or phrase into the pane provided. The widget will then access the content of Answers.com and displays an answer in the dashboard widget. If you get a lot of answers to your search term, click the "More" button to go to the Answers.com website. Depending on your search term or phrase, content within the results may include text, photos, links, and more

Elements Widget
The Elements widget is an excellent resource for any chemistry buff. This periodic table of elements widget is shown with all general information - symbol, name, atomic number, atomic weight and phase. When you select a particular element the information appears on the chart. The table is colorful, accurate, and remarkably handy.

qwikCONVERT
Any number of subjects may be easier with this powerful conversion widget. quikCONVERT works faster and better than most conversion tools. Begin typing your value from the beginning and then type the unit just behind. A series of conversions are calculated and appear in the space below your entry. Whether you need to convert lengths, weights, areas, volumes, temperatures, speeds, times, pressures, energy, powers or currencies using the latest rates, quikCONVERT can get the job done.

Countdown
Looking forward to your next vacation, the last day of school, or favorite holiday? The Countdown widget displays the time to the event of your choice broken down into days, hours, minutes or seconds. Now you can quickly see exactly how long you have to wait for anything you want, but beware: a watched pot never boils!

Quick recap about Dashboard: Dashboard is a feature of Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger). It's similar to Exposé with the application popping up in front of your Desktop at the click of the mouse button or function key. Dashboard gives you quick access to mini-applications called "Widgets." Each widget has a different function, some need Internet access while others don't, but all activate at the click of a mouse button.

Don't have Tiger? Contact Pelarious about upgrading your system!

You can get these widgets at Apple.com. More tips on helpful widget are coming your way in the next issue of SQUIB.

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Are You Internet Lingo Savvy?

If you are confused by some of the latest tech terminology, you're not alone. A recent report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project indicates that the majority of Internet users are unfamiliar with some of the Internet's newer common terms.

Although participants in the survey had an understanding of the terms Spam, Firewall, Spyware, Internet Cookies, and Adware, most admitted a lack of understanding for RSS feeds, podcasting, and Internet "phishing."

If you find yourself scratching your head at these words too, we've included a list of definitions from the Pew report for a fast review.

Spam: unsolicited bulk commercial email

Firewall: a program or device that filters information coming through an internet connection and blocks packets that the user has identified as threatening

Spyware: programs that are loaded onto a computer without consent and that track users' online activities

Internet cookies: computer code that is placed on a hard drive when internet users go to Web sites and allow the sites to identify the computer if it returns to the site

Adware: software that is bundled with free files and programs that is loaded on a computer and can use information about a computer users preferences to provide targeted advertising to them

Internet "phishing": unsolicited emails that attempt to acquire an internet user's sensitive information, such as credit card numbers by pretending to be a trustworthy person or business

Podcasting: audio files that are downloaded from Web sites loaded onto MP3 players such as iPods and played at the convenience of users

RSS feeds: a file format that allows syndication of Web content, including blog postings, to those who have subscribed to the material

Learning these terms is vital to understanding the Internet and protecting yourself from malicious Internet threats. Keeping up with the evolving language of technology is equally important. Below is a list of references you can use stay sharp when it comes to tech terms.

TechWeb Encyclopedia
TechWeb lists the top 10 terms and gives you the option to search for terms. Not sure what words you need to learn? Click a button to get a random definition.

Webopedia
Search for a term, read up on their latest entries, or select an area of interest to brush up on tech terms.

Sharpened.net Glossary
This site includes a growing glossary of tech terms with easy to understand definitions.

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Computers Need to Keep Their Cool
In the Dog Days of Summer

A few weeks ago I was reminded that my laptop is not indestructible. I sat down to my computer for the usual series of tasks when I discovered that my laptop was churning like crazy and completely unresponsive. A total crash of my system had never happened before and it put me on edge, but it was the computer's utter failure to restart that really caused me to worry.

The idea that my workhorse of a computer could fail is unnerving, but a reality. This is exactly the reason I keep my backups up to date. However, I wasn't ready to give up all for lost. Fortunately, my computer was showing signs that it was merely the victim of heat stroke and not permanently damaged. I took the proper steps to lead it to recovery and all is fine.

So, I want to share with you some advice in case you find yourself sitting in front of a "hot tempered" laptop.

What are the symptoms of an overheated machine?

1) Nothing responds or continues to work. The computer will churn, attempting to run, but will freeze you out of all actions.

2) The laptop will be warm, even hot, to the touch.

3) Once the machine is shut down, it will not restart. It may attempt to restart, but no login or startup screen will appear.

What should you do if your computer seems to have overheated?

1) Shutdown the computer, but keep it plugged into power.

2) Leave the computer off for several hours, enabling it to completely cool to room temperature.

3) Once the machine has been let alone for several hours, restart. For Macs, perform a Safe Boot immediately upon restart.

To avoid a machine overheating, don't use your computer in environments outside of the listed operating conditions for the machine. For example, a PowerBoook should only be used in an environment with a temperature of between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Check your operating manual for details specific to your computer.

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