Bring back the screensavers.

Once upon a time, we all had screen savers – pictures or animations that appeared after ten minutes or so of computer inactivity.  The idea of them was that if you had a static picture for a long time, the image would become burned onto the inside of the screen.  Phosphor burn, we geeks called it.

Then, the newer screens came out. Not the very modern flat ones, just newer versions of the old ones.  Those didn’t need screen savers, because the phosphor burn problem had been fixed, but Microsoft still supplied screen savers, because it seems that we liked watching those pipes getting connected or the letters scrolling across the screen.  They were harmless, anyway.

Now, the newest flat-panel monitors are what most of us have, and guess what – the phosphor burn issue is back again (although it’s not phosphor this time).  Images don’t get burned onto the screens permanently, but they can linger.

So, one step forward, one step back.  With the best new screens, you should use a screen saver.

To switch a your screen saver on, or change it, just right-click on a blank area of the desktop and choose Properties. Then click the Screen Saver tab, and choose the one you like from the drop-down menu.

VERY IMPORTANT – do not be tempted to download tempting looking screen savers from alluring sites.  They will ALWAYS be riddled with nasty bits and pieces that will do your system no good at all.

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The mighty Google has spread its net even wider

The mighty Google has spread its net even wider - it is launching Google Checkout, which is a system that will compete directly with PayPal as a means of transferring money to pay for things online.

There is certainly room for another player in that market - for the moment Paypal has the field pretty well all to itself, and as a result has little pressure to keep charges competitive.  It is the most common way to settle up for purchases on Ebay - so it comes as no surprise to learn that eBay bought Paypal a while ago.  So not only do they get a fee for selling your old bits and pieces, they help themselves to a bit of the money as it passes from hand to hand.

So don't expect them to leap to allow Google Checkout to be used on eBay - but the sheer weight of commercial pressure that Google can impose may swing it.

It only remains to see what other areas of our lives Google will step into.  A Google phone is a certainty, I would have thought, and why not a Goole Bank?

There might even be Google schools and Universities - Google trains, Google Utilities... good grief...

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Unlimited free storage on Yahoo - a boon for biographers?

If you want proof that the cost of computing is falling fast - especially the cost of storage space - you need look no further than Yahoo. From May this year, if you use their online email  system (http://uk.yahoo.com/) you will be able to store as much as you like on their system for free.  Emails, pictures files, music - no problem.  It won't make much difference to most of us - except that it offers the not-to-be-missed opportunity to store the spam messages you get for ever.

However, it might be a hint of relief to worried historians.  Hitherto, anyone writing a biography of, say, Churchill, has had the opportunity of ploughing through the thousands of letters written to, for and by the great man.  But what will happen to emails?  Many historians worry that these intrinsically ephemeral wisps of information will simply fade away or be deleted and that the personal archive of a great person will be a modest affair compared to the past.  So will this infinite storage perhaps help fight this danger?

Perhaps, but have a look deep in the terms of service at Yahoo - they declare: "You agree that ... any rights to your Yahoo! ID or contents within your account terminate upon your death. Upon receipt of a copy of a death certificate, your account may be terminated and all contents therein permanently deleted."

That's pretty clear, and I think that historians should be worried - and should be agitating about it.

What about leaving your emails to someone in your will?

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How to type all those secret symbols

 This is a good trick.

Open Word. Now hold down the Alt key and type the numbers 0161 and release the Alt key; instead of those numbers showing up on the screen, you see an inverted exclamation mark. Now, this is only any use if you type in Spanish, but it demonstrates just one of the special characters that are tucked away in you computer but not on your keyboard.

To see them all, go to Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Character Map. A new window will open, and a grid of all of them will appear. Depending on the version you have, this may include Greek, Arabic numbers and many odd symbols.

You can copy and paste directly from this window into your document, but it is quicker to learn the magic key.  Click on one of the characters to highlight it, and then look in the bottom right of the window. Many (but not all) show the Alt-key number combination that makes it appear in your document. For example, © is ALT+0169; € is Alt+0128

Just make a note of it, and use that key combination whenever you want to type that symbol.

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Update on April 26, 2007 by Webster

I've posted some more guidance on this subject - click here.

It all starts with the Start Menu

How do you change what appears on the Start Menu?  Easy.

Begin by right-clicking on the Start button (bottom left of the screen, probably), choose Properties, and click the Customize button.

Now there are a number of choices to ponder on.

• Size: You can make the symbols smaller - useful if you want to add lots more.
• I think that you should increase the number of frequently used programs to about a dozen. That way all the things you use most regularly will be displayed there - no more searching.
• Advanced tab: Have a good look through this - there are lots of options. You might turn off the list of recently opened documents, for example, if you don't want other users of the computer following your tracks.

AVG Free Antivirus - attention all users

Lots of Oldies use the free version of AVG as an antivirus program, but Version 7.1 expired on February 18. Many of you have asked me what to do, and if you need to buy a new version.

It is an excellent programme, much simpler than Norton, and it’s free. However, even though the old version has died, the good news is that AVG is not discontinuing the free version, whatever impression they give in their pop up messages that have been, well, popping up.  It is just being updated to version 7.5.

All you need to do is click here and download it from the site that appears. When you get to that page, click on the green Download Now symbol (see right) and then click "Run" in the box that appears, and follow instructions.

Once installed, you do this:

1. Run the AVG Free Edition 7.5 Setup program
2. Click "Next >" on the AVG "Welcome!" screen
3. Click "Accept" on the "License Agreement on Use of an AVG Free Edition" screen
4. Select "Repair installation" on the "Select Setup Type" screen and click "Next >"
5. Select "Restart the computer now" (pre-selected by the program automatically) and click "OK" on the "Installation Complete!" screen to restart your computer and complete the installation.

You can see all these on the AVG website by clicking here - and once that's done, you are back on the free ride.

Helpdesks are older than you think...

Even medieval monks had to resort to helpdesks.  This little video (taken from a Norwegian television programme) shows how difficult it must have been upgrading from scrolls to books. 

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No. 10 petitions - get them while you can

Over a million people have signed an online anti-road charging petition (you can add your name by clicking here although the site has been close to meltdown most of today) and they have drawn attention to the online petitioning service that 10 Downing Street launched last November.  You can see the general details at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk and I suggest you look at it sooner rather than later.  Given that so many people have used it to criticise a Government proposal, don't be surprised if Blair & Co find that it is somehow inappropriate to continue providing the service, no doubt claiming some unspecified "technical difficulties" or that the money is needed to pay nurses, or some other nonsense.  And even if they do survive, I can't see Brown standing for that sort of public criticism for long.

They do have some weasel words to help them - all petitions have to be approved by Downing Street Officials (whoever they are) before they are launched online, and they have plenty of headings under which to refuse to publish them.  You can see their policy at by clicking here.

I especially enjoyed the bit which prohibits "petitions which are intended to be humorous ... however witty these are, it is not appropriate to use a publically-funded website for purely frivolous purposes."

So the challenge now must be to get a petition accepted that is a joke, but that the officials have not spotted.  Any Oldies got any thoughts?  Please post a comment (click on the link at the top of this entry) with some ideas.

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You think the weather's bad here?

This is what a really hard frost can do..

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Falling Sand game

"Falling Sand Game"  is a cunning little game that can be fascinating.  It will especially appeal to those of us who enjoyed building dams in streams as children.

Click to read more ...