 As of December 31, 2009 Cyber News has been read in every state in the U.S. with a total of 2,223 cities. California is out in front of our readership with 212 cities followed by Illinois 160, Florida 132, Iowa 110, Michigan 106, Texas 101 and on down the line to Delaware with 1 city. We've also had hits from 102 countries. It's a brand new year! Maybe the biggest gift we have in this life is time. The thing about time is that we can't stop it; the clock just keeps ticking away. You and I don't know how much of this precious commodity we have on this earth so maybe a great new year's resolution would be to think about how we can make better use of it. Time is equated as the past, present and future. "Heal the Past, Live the Present, and Dream the Future." In living the present, don't take each day for granted, live it! In 2010 let's watch what we eat, exercise, take time to relax, and think of ways to make a difference in someone else's life. When Windows 7 was released in late October I purchased a new desktop with the new operating system. Now after two months of constant use, I am pleased to say that I have yet to have the slightest problem. Here are some of the things that I like about Windows 7.
Let me give you a short synopsis on the above in the order that they are listed.
The taskbar in Windows 7 is now more functional and some say resembles the Apple computer. Simply drag your most used applications from the program menu to the taskbar for easy access. When purchasing a new computer you should make sure you're buying a 64 bit system so as to take advantage of increased memory. The average computer now comes with 8GB which is twice as much than was allowed in 32 bit systems. Gadgets are new if you didn't use Vista. Vista gadgets were kept in the side bar and quite frankly I didn't like that feature. With Windows 7 gadgets can be moved any place you want them on your desktop. I love "sticky notes." You can place these little notes anywhere on your desktop to keep track of things you have to do. You can even right click and change the color. I find I use them daily, and it saves lots of paper. The search features in Windows 7 are phenomenal. Click the start button and type whatever you're looking for in the search box and instantly it will find any document, music file, photo, or even an email message that contains that word or words. The "snap feature" is a new and quick way to maximize and minimize windows. You don't have to bother with the little square boxes at the top right of every program anymore. Just grab the window and move it to the top of your screen, and it's maximized! Grab it again and move it down for a smaller window. Great new feature. I also love the snipping tool. It can easily be used to take a picture of anything, anywhere on your computer. I also use that feature often.
That's it in a nutshell. I won't spend a lot of time in the next few months talking about Windows 7 until more people jump on the band wagon. Windows XP is still a solid reliable system and Microsoft will continue to support it for quite some time. There is already talk that Microsoft could release the next operating system, Windows 8, as early as 2012 but at this time that's only a rumor. Here's a reminder that my System Maintenance page has been completely revised. Many detailed steps have been included which should eliminate any confusion as to how to install and run the suggested programs. System Maintenance. For you American Idol fans, the 2010 season premiers January 12th on the Fox network. Lots of good stuff on their website. A new season of "The Bachelor" on ABC starts January 4th. This year's episodes feature Jake Pavelka, a Dallas based Airline Pilot. Watch as 25 girls vie for Jake's attention and at the end of the season he will ask one of them to marry him. More from ABC. "The Greatest Windows Tips of All Time." PC World has listed tips for XP, Vista and Windows 7. You might want to browse through them to see if you can pick up a few to make your computing easier.
Black and white photography is sometimes very dramatic and you might like to try it. Most digital cameras will shoot in B&W or you can change a color image in a photo editing program. Here are some secrets for shooting black and white from Digital Photo Magazine. You might enjoy browsing my personal Photo Site. You'll see over 1,100 pictures in 38 galleries I've taken from around the world . We have had thousands of views on our Photo Site, thanks in part to Cyber News readers! Check out my Blog. There you will find thoughts on many subjects and occasionally find supplements to Cyber News such as Virus alerts or other computer information that I think might be important to you. Blog
Remember you can read previous editions of Cyber News by clicking on the links at the bottom of this page. You can also search previous editions of Cyber News by typing key words into the search box. If you would like to be added to our mailing list (absolutely not shared with anyone) just click here. You will be notified when each new edition is posted. Since spam filters seem to be getting stricter our notification may end up in your spam folder, so be sure to check that occasionally for any important email that may have ended up there. Cyber News is a permanent web site, so you can put it in your "Favorites" and refer to it anytime. Secrets of Safe Computing are outlined below. Please don't ignore them. Read each point and be sure to follow the advice as outlined in System Maintenance. Just a few minutes of work each month will go a long way in keeping your computer running smoothly. HAPPY NEW YEAR.................MAY 2010 BE THE BEST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE! "Live life with passion, in a constant state of joy, and with an attitude of gratitude!"
Disclaimer: The information presented in Cyber News is researched and is believed to be accurate. We cannot guarantee that all the information will work on your particular combination of hardware, software and user skills. All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither Stanley Computing nor its contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from your choosing to use any information presented on this web site. |
Windows 7 boots up faster
than Vista or XP and applications open quicker. Example:
My XP machine takes over 4 minutes to boot up, and 35 seconds to open
Paint Shop Pro which is the slowest program I have to load up. The new
Windows 7 machine boots up in a little over one minute and Paint Shop
Pro opens in 14 seconds. Quite a difference.
The only concern you'll have
with Windows 7 is what to use for an email client as the operating system
no longer includes one. I liked Outlook Express, that we used since
Windows 95, but it's gone now. Vista used Windows Mail and that has
now been replaced by 
Photo
Tip of the Month: Now that you have all those holiday digital
photos, you may want to have them printed. Of course you can
accomplish that on your own color printer, but if you don't want to use
that expensive ink and special paper, there's another handy way to get
your prints. You can upload the photos you want printed to Costco,
Sam's Club, Walgreen's, and most Camera stores. State what size
and the number you want, then pick them up at your convenience.
Another way is to copy the photos you want printed on to a pocket drive
and take that to the store. Most stores have computers where you
plug your flash drive into a USB slot, place your order and then wait
for them to be printed while you shop.
If
you think a friend or family member would enjoy Cyber News, don't
hesitate to let them know about it. An easy way to do this is to
right click on the web address in the address window of your browser and
choose copy. Open your email program and a new email.
Address it, and in the body of the message right click and choose paste.
That creates a link and when your friend receives the email he or she
simply clicks on the link and it will take them directly to Cyber News. Of
course you can do that with any web page.
