Computer Stuff

Easter Eggs  Many programs have Easter eggs - usually hidden there by the programmers - that you can invoke if you know the secret key combinations.  For example, if you use Netscape, try pressing Ctrl-Alt-F and see what happens.  Here is a large collection of Easter eggs hidden in many different programs.  Other creative works, such as movies and TV shows, are also known to have Easter eggs.

Hacking Stuff  Explore the often misunderstood world of hacking.  Learn the skills to become a hacker, what hackers really do, and how to stay on the right side of the law.

HTML Goodies Site  Joe Burn's fast and friendly approach to building a Web site keeps over 750,000 people coming back to his HTML Goodies Web site every month to learn HTML and JavaScript.  Combine his online tutorials with his books HTML Goodies and JavaScript Goodies and you'll quickly master all the HTML and JavaScript you need to build your Web site.  Learn to build all the Web site features you want most, from password-protected pages to visitor counters, guest books, scrolling marquees, RealAudio sound, and searchable databases.

Software Download Sites  There are lots of places to download software from the Internet; much of it free!


WINDOWS TIP:  Creating a Shutdown Icon

Right-click on your desktop and choose New, Shortcut.  In the command line, enter

rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows

and then click Next.  Choose a name for the shortcut in the next box (probably something like Shut Down) and then click Finish.  You can now double-click this icon to shut down your computer, without going to the Start menu.

WINDOWS TIP:  Bypass the Recycle Bin

Tired of having to delete everything twice?  If you're sure you want to delete something the first time around, you can skip right over the Recycle Bin.  Just highlight whatever it is you want to delete, hit Shift-Delete, and its gone.  It's not as dangerous as it sounds, because you'll still get one of those polite messages asking if you're sure.

NAVIGATOR TIP:  Bookmark An Unvisited Link

You don't have to be on a page to bookmark it.  If a page you are visiting contains a link you'd like to bookmark for later browsing, simply right-click the link and select Add Bookmark.  This files the new bookmark in your default New Bookmark folder; it remains marked as unvisited until you click it.  Furthermore, it will appear with a question mark icon in the Edit Bookmarks window, indicating that you haven't visited it yet.

WINDOWS TIP: Quiet Your Modem

Tired of that annoying noise your modem makes?  Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, and choose Modems.  Select your modem in the upper box and then click Properties.  Click the Connection tab and then the Advanced button.  In the Extra Settings box, type

ATM0

Please note that the last character is a zero, not the letter "O".  This modem string instructs your modem to remain quiet during the dialing process.  Click OK twice and then Close to exit.

WINDOWS TIP: Increasing The Font Size For Windows

By default, the font for the text of all your Windows folder windows is 8-point MS Sans Serif.  If you find this font to be a little too small or hard to read on your computer, increasing it is simple.  Right-click on the desktop and choose Properties.  Click the Appearance tab and Choose Icon from the Item drop-down menu.  Under Font at the bottom of the box, try bumping the size up from 8 to 10.  Click Apply to preview it, and see if the change helps.

WINDOWS TIP: Speeding Up Modem Dialing

You would have to ba a real Type-A personality to complain that your modem dials numbers too slowly, but then again, why not save a few seconds?  By using a modem string command, you can accelerate your modem's dialing considerably.  Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel and open the Modems icon.  Select your modem and click Properties.  Click the Connection tab and then click the Advanced button.  In the Extra Settings box, type

S11=35

Click OK, and then close.  The next time you dial in to your ISP, your modem will dial that string lickety-split.

WINDOWS TIP: Enabling Cursor Trails

Farsighted folks who have trouble reading the fine print on their computer monitors can also have trouble finding their cursor.  The easiest way to keep from flinging your mouse back and forth wildly in order to see the cursor is to enable pointer trails.  With pointer trails, your cursor leaves a faint image trailing behind wherever it moves on your screen.  This mildly psychedelic effect can be yours simply by going to Start, Settings, Control Panel, and double-clicking the Mouse icon.  Go to Motion and click Enabled under Cursor Trails.  (With the Microsoft IntelliPoint mouse, you'll find the option on the Visability tab under Trails.)
 


 

Linux Stuff

The Linux Documentation Project  A tremendous resource full of useful information on hundreds of Linux-related topics.  This site contains many user contributed books, howtos, mini-howtos, FAQs, etc.  Every Linux user should have this site bookmarked.

Linux2order  maintains the Internet's largest source of Linux software and allows the Linux user to customize their software suites.  Linux2order has developed the concept of a true Linux community dedicated to all Linux users.