Abby Stokes
Page 25
The easiest way to rename an image is to move your mouse onto the icon for the image. Click once to highlight the icon, wait a second or two, and then click once directly on the name of the image. Now all the text below the image should be highlighted. Whatever you type will replace the current name. Once you’ve typed the new name, depress and release the Enter or Return key on the keyboard. May I suggest that you include in the name the subject of the image and the date (at least the year) and perhaps something about where it was taken or what they are doing? The ideal name is a name that tells you all you need to know about the photo without having to open it to see what it is.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click on the image.
2. Wait a second and click on the name. Type new name to replace highlighted text.
3. Hit the Enter or Return key on the keyboard.
Now that you’ve renamed your photos, feel free to send them to friends or family as e-mail attachments following the steps in Chapter 17. Whoever you send them to will appreciate that you have given the images a name rather than sent them on with the random numbers the camera gives each image.
* * *
“I didn’t even know I wanted to take photographs, but when I was given a digital camera for my sixtieth birthday from my grandkids a whole new world opened up for me. I’m now the official family photographer.”
—Oliver
* * *
Save Me!
Let’s talk about some safety measures for your treasured memories. After you transfer your photos from the camera to the computer, you’ll want to empty the memory card so there’s plenty of room for you to snap away. The camera’s instruction manual will walk you through those simple steps. Now the photos you took live only on your computer. Right? What happens if your computer is stolen or breaks down? The family reunion you documented could be lost forever. It is crucial to back up your photographs (and all your important files) regularly.
We haven’t really discussed backing up the computer before. You should back up your computer at regular intervals, depending on how you use it. If you only use your computer for e-mail and to surf the Internet, there’s really not much to back up. If you have web-based e-mail, your e-mail service keeps your e-mails on their computers. (That’s why you can access your e-mail from any computer, not just yours at home.) However, if you use your computer to write documents, create spreadsheets, and store photographs and/or music, you’ll want to save that information onto a backup periodically, in case something happens to your computer.
In Chapter 12 we set the Background or Wallpaper on the desktop of your computer. Now that you have photographs on your computer, those photos can now be chosen as the background on your Desktop. Return to page 148 to refresh your memory of how to customize your Desktop. Instead of selecting from the images offered, click on Browse or Choose Folder to find a photo from your collection.
Not so long ago, floppy disks were used to back up computers, but nowadays a writable CD (compact disc) is more common because it holds much more information. You may also use a writable DVD depending on what you’re backing up. A couple of different methods are available to copy data from your computer onto a CD or DVD. Here’s one method:
If you have a PC:
• Open the CD or DVD drawer. Be gentle as it is a fragile piece of equipment and yet be firm enough, if you have a laptop, that the CD or DVD snaps into place. Close the drawer.
• A window may automatically open. Close the window by clicking on the Close Box in the top right corner.
PC USERS—TRY TO RIGHT-CLICK
You right-click the mouse to get the advanced menu. Once the advanced menu is available, you left- click from that point forward.
• Make sure any documents or photos you want to backup are closed. You can’t back up something if it’s open.
• Move your mouse onto the icon of the folder or file you want to back up.
• Your mouse has two buttons, one on the left and one on the right. Up until now you’ve only been using the left mouse button (see Southpaw note). For the first time, you’re going to use the right button. The right button on the mouse opens up an advanced menu allowing you to perform tasks in fewer steps—kind of like a shortcut. Try it now.
CLICK AND GO
1. Right-click on folder icon.
2. Left-click on Send To.
3. Left-click on CD or DVD Drive.
• Right-click on the item to back up.
• A menu opens. Move your mouse onto Send To and left-click.
• Another menu has opened to the side. Move your mouse into that menu and left-click on the CD-RW Drive or it may read DVD/CD-RW Drive. Give the computer a minute to copy.
• To remove the CD or DVD, open the drawer.
DEAR SOUTHPAW
If you reversed the features of the mouse, as described on page 146, reverse the instructions here.
If you have a Mac:
• Push the CD or DVD into the slot. The computer will grab the CD or DVD from you. An icon for the CD or DVD will appear on the Desktop.
• Click and drag the folder or file you want to back up onto the CD or DVD icon. Release the mouse.
• Give the computer a minute to copy.
• To remove the CD or DVD click and drag it to the Trash.
That’s all it takes to copy something from your computer onto a CD or DVD! At some point, you’ll back up your entire system, but for now we’ll stick with the simple method to back up desired files such as the first draft of your memoir or those adorable photos of Fido.
Enhance My Experience
You may get so into digital photography that to take a picture, print it, and send it on an attachment may not be enough for you. You may decide you want to enhance or manipulate your photographs. What inspired me to buy my first scanner was a friend’s impending nuptials. With the scanner I was able to scan existing childhood photographs of the soon-to-be bride and groom onto my computer. Once the images were on my computer I copied the bride (sitting Indian style at about age 5) from her photo and pasted her on the handlebars of the groom’s picture (riding a bike also at about age 5). It was so much fun!
Back Me Up!
Use the same steps described here to back up the masterpieces you’ve written when word processing (discussed in Chapter 15). You don’t want to lose your writing any more than you want to lose your photographs.
By the way, just to add a new bit of computer jargon to your vocabulary, what you just did was backup data, copy data, or “burn” data to a CD or DVD. That’s all burning means—to copy onto another format, in this case onto a CD or DVD. Once a CD or DVD is burned or information is backed up, the CD or DVD should be labeled. An indelible marker like a Sharpie is the best writing tool to mark a CD or DVD because most regular markers smudge, and pencil isn’t dark enough. Always date a CD or DVD including the year, and be specific about what it contains. You might not look at the CD or DVD for a very long time, and you’ll want to identify the contents without having to put it into the computer. Store the CD or DVD in a safe place. If it holds vital financial information, you may want to store it in a home safe or a safe deposit box.
The scanner transferred the images onto my computer like a camera transfers images onto a computer. It was photo-editing software, not the scanner, that enabled the copying and pasting of the images. If you’re interested in altering the images you’ve brought onto your computer, ask friends and relatives who do the same what software they recommend. Some well-known programs are iPhoto (for the Mac), Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop, and Microsoft Digital Image Suite.
You’ll be able to draw that mustache you miss so much back onto Uncle Charlie’s face and erase the unfortunate one on Aunt Charlene. The sky is the limit with what you can do with photo editing. If you’re really gung ho about it, you may want to track down an adult education program in your area to jump-start your photo-editing abilities.
• An image can be altered once it is on
the computer.
A Disappearing Act
Do you remember the original fax paper? It was shiny and thin. What a shock to discover faxes disappeared off the paper before our very eyes a few years after their composition. No one can be sure about the flaws or longevity with new technology. I say this as a warning about printing photo images at home. It’s very satisfying to take a picture of a memorable event, race home, attach the camera to the computer, and transfer the image onto the computer. Seconds later, the image is printed on photo paper with your home printer. It really is incredible. But what do we know about how long that image will last on that paper? Ten years? Twenty years? It may be more, but maybe not. I tell my students if it’s a really important photo, bring the backup CD to a professional photo shop and have them process a set of pictures as they would from a set of negatives. I could be wrong. Your printed image could last until the next ice age, but why take a chance?
There’s another way you can save your images. Some websites offer to store and process your photos if you upload them onto their website. Again, be sure to choose a reputable company. It would be tragic if the company went out of business with all your pictures stored on their computer.
PHOTO-FRIENDLY WEBSITES
Here are three websites worthy of a visit where you can store, order, and share photos:
flickr.com
kodakgallery.com
shutterfly.com
Visit abbyandme.com to experiment together with some photos I’ve put on my website. I’ll also bring you to flickr.com.
A PHOTO TUTORIAL
Visit abbyandme.com to take advantage of an online tutorial that will introduce you to the popular photo sharing sites flikr.com and kodakgallery.com.
Q: I’m usingkodakgallery.com to store my digital pictures. What happens if they close up shop?
A: Kodakgallery.com is unlikely to be going out of business any time soon. But it’s important to choose a website that’s been around for a while (and that will stay around) to store your images. Flikr.com and picasa.com are two other well-known sites. Having said that, regardless of what website you store your images on, always burn (or copy) the pictures onto a CD or DVD for safekeeping, since there’s no guarantee that a website will always exist.
Q: If I delete all the photos on my camera, is there any way to get them back?
A: Unfortunately not. If you haven’t transferred them to your computer and you delete them from the camera, they are gone.
Q: Will my camera lose the photographs I’ve taken if the batteries run out?
A: No. The photographs are stored on the memory card inside the computer. The memory card holds the photographs regardless of the battery power. However, low batteries can affect the memory card’s ability to do its job, so change the batteries as soon as you see that they are running low. Using rechargeable batteries is both environmentally and economically smart.
Q: What is the difference between a scanned image and a photo?
A: Well, they are both images in the mind of the computer. The only difference is how they got onto the computer. One is a photograph taken by a camera. The other is a photo taken by a scanner.
CHAPTER 19
Join the Conversation
Instant messaging, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, online dating, and more
From dating to “chatting” with friends to discussing literature, the Internet offers a whole new way to meet people, communicate, and express yourself. No more waiting for the postman: Now you’ve got e-mail, and if e-mail isn’t fast enough, you can instant-message (IM). Do you feel like visiting with someone who’s far away? Use Skype to video chat—it’s the next best thing to being there. Want to share your views? Tell the world via social networking or on your own blog. And there’s no need to wait for Cupid’s arrow to find you: Start dating online. But before you jump into these ever evolving means of communication and connection, let’s understand how each works.
Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
Instant messaging is exactly what it sounds like—a nearly instant way to send a message over the Internet. With poky old e-mail, you compose the message, click Send, and then wait until the recipient accesses his or her inbox and replies. There is no waiting with an instant message. As fast as your fingers can type your words and click Send, your missive appears on the recipient’s screen. The slowest part for me with an instant message is my lousy typing! IMing takes place in real time just like actual conversations.
* * *
“My grandson and I instant message whenever we’re on our computers at the same time. I had no idea I would have so much fun IMing!”
—Arthur
* * *
America Online, Yahoo!, and Google offer IM services. When you sign up for IM service, which should be free, you create a buddy list or contact list of those whom you know who IM with that same service. The basic steps to set up a buddy or a contact list are pretty much the same with each service. Look for Contacts, Add a Contact, Buddy List, or Add a Buddy—clicking on one of these will lead you to where you can add to your list of IM pals. You may have to exchange screen names with your friends if their IM handles differ from their e-mail addresses.
• An Instant Message.
CLICK AND GO
1. Look for blinking line.
2. Type message.
3. Click Send.
You can IM with anyone you want, but both you and your buddy have to be online when you IM. You can see which of your buddies are online by looking at your Buddy/Contact list (and they can see that you’re online, too). Don’t be surprised if an IM slips through from someone you don’t know. Simply ignore it like you would a wrong number.
IOW W/B (In other words, write back)
Due to the brevity of this form of communication, shortcuts are often used. Below are some abbreviations that you may want to try in addition to the emoticons found on page 236.
IM conversations are quick and often abbreviated. You have an unlimited amount of space to write your instant message, but a lengthy missive kind of defeats the purpose. IMing is all about fast communication. It’s faster than e-mail because you bypass the formalities of clicking Write, adding the address, inserting a subject, etc. IMing is to e-mail what passing a note in class is to writing a letter.
B4 Before
BBL Be back later
BC Because
BFN Bye for now
BTW By the way
CU See you
F2F Face-to-face
GL Good luck
GR8 Great
GTG Got to go
HAGD Have a good day
IDK I don’t know
IMHO In my humble opinion
IRL In real life
JK Just kidding
JMO Just my opinion
L8R Later
LOL Laughing out loud
NVM Never mind
OMG Oh my God
OTL Out to lunch
NP No problem
PLS/PLZ Please
POS Parent over shoulder
PU That stinks!
ROFL Rolling on the floor laughing
RUOK Are you OK?
TTYL Talk to you later
TY Thank you
UR You’re/your
WAM Wait a minute
YW You’re welcome
ZZZZ Sleeping
Try to translate this:
RUOK? WOULD <3 2 GO OTL. TSTB. IG2R.;)
* * *
Are you okay? I would love to go out to lunch. The sooner, the better. I’ve got to run. Smile and a wink.
Say It Face-to-Face with a Webcam
A webcam is a video camera capable of shooting video that can be viewed on the Internet in real time. It’s a great tool for communicating with family and friends long distance because you can see them face-to-face while you speak. I have a friend here in the States whose dad lives in Ireland. She and her children take turns at the computer in San Francisco while Granddad is at his computer in Belfast, and th
ey hear and see and interact with each other by using a webcam and a program called Skype (more on that in a minute). It’s the next best thing to being there in person.
Some computers come with a webcam built directly into the monitor. If your computer didn’t come with a webcam, you can purchase one and connect it to your computer. You’ll plug it in using the attached cable and follow the simple instructions for installing it (or get a friend to help). Most people place their webcams near or on the monitor because that’s where they face when at the computer. Some webcams have sound capabilities. If your webcam doesn’t, you’ll need to plug a microphone and speakers into your computer in order to be heard and to hear others.
Here’s a web address where you can see Times Square 24/7: www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare. If you’re not interested in Times Square, Earthcam has cameras all over the world. Another website, funsites.com, will also link you to webcams—they offer more than 75 around the globe. Check them out at www.funsites.com/ca-resources.html. Or for animal lovers, here’s a webcam where you can see a live 24/7 African wildlife safari: www.africam.com. These are one-way operations. You can see what’s happening in Times Square or Tunisia in real time on these websites whether you have a webcam or not.
* * *
“Skype has changed everything for me. I love video calling! Now I understand why everyone thinks the computer is a miracle.”
—Nimet
* * *
What’s the Hype with Skype?
Skype is a program that allows voice and video calls over the Internet along with instant messaging and video conferencing. Contact between Skype users online is free (at least at the time of my typing this), while contact between a Skype user and a landline or cell phone can be made for a fee using a debit-based account system.