IBM and the Jeopardy Challenge

miku's medley from 39's giving day concert

Vocaloid Hatsune Miku, the worlds virtual diva

Japanese Scientists Create Touchable Holograms

Typing Lessons

Today we're going to go back to the computer basics by focusing some time on how to type!  I've noticed that a few of us are still struggling with how to use the keyboard, so today we'll check out some lessons and games that will help you improve your typing skills.

Start by going to this website: http://www.freetypinggame.net/free-typing-lesson.asp

This is a freeware lesson.  Freeware is a type of software developers allow you to use for free.  Sometimes it is just a demo of a bigger program you have to buy.  Sometimes it's a demo of a bigger program you can still download for free.  Since we are just trying it out, our demo will do just fine. 

If you have access to a computer at home or anywhere else you can always use your Google searching skills to find typing lessons and games online.  Just go to your Google search bar or Google.com and type in "typing games" or "typing lessons" or "free typing games" or "free typing lessons" then see if you can find a site that you like!

For your reference, here are the questions we went over today.  When we do the post test--put your notes away!

1. What keys on the keyboard do you rest your index fingers on when typing?
a. D & K
b. G & H
c. F & J
d. None of the above.

2. To capitalize a letter what key do you have to hold down first?
a. cap locks
b. control
c. delete
d. shift

3. What keys on the keyboard do you rest your pinky fingers on when typing?
a. S & L
b. A & ;
c. X & >
d. None of the above


EXTRA CREDIT!

What country is developing touchable holograms?
a. America
b. China
c. Japan
d. Switzerland

Shopping Online

Shopping online can be really fun and rewarding--as long as you know how to do it safely! 
If you're someone who has trouble getting out and about, or you don't like being mixed in with crowds of people, or you like to find a specific item for a good price--then shopping online is a good option for you.

Here are some tips and resources for online shopping.

PayPal - PayPal works somewhat like an organizer and online bank.  It SAFELY and SECURELY stores your bank information and credit card information so when you shop online you can purchase items through PayPal.  When you buy something from a website using PayPal the website you are buying from never sees your information--PayPal processes the transaction in a way that keeps everything, but your shipping address, hidden.  PayPal has been trusted for years and is very selective about which website they allow to use their system.  They even have a new feature now where you can buy MoneyPaks from stores and put money directly into your PayPal account.  This is good for people who are still uncomfortable about putting their credit information online or do not have a bank account or credit card to use.  If you are someone interested in starting your own online store or are looking to raise money online PayPal offers services to websites to do this.  Chances are, if a website uses PayPal it can be trusted, but you should still make sure that everything else on the website is legitimate (and also always make sure that what they're saying is PayPal is ACTUALLY PayPal and not a scam to get your PayPal information!)

eBay - Many of you may already be familiar with eBay.  It is a great website for all people to sell their goods online--whether it's used or even brand new!  eBay has the option of using PayPal to process payments.  The website is trustworthy--but sometimes the sellers are not!  Before buying an item always look at a sellers star rating and feedback!  If they have low ratings and bad feedback, then you should probably save yourself the trouble and look somewhere else.  A 90% rating or higher is best--but personally I won't buy from anyone who has less than a 98% rating.

etsy - This is a fantastic resource for artists and people who like handcrafted or vintage goods!  It's like eBay except that people are only allowed to sell vintage goods, things they have made themselves, or supplies for various art projects.  You MUST have a PayPal account to sell on this website and generally sellers prefer that people buy their items with a PayPal account. (I told you, PayPal is one of the most trusted services online!)  If you're someone who really enjoys handmade goods you can spend hours just browsing etsy.  It's amazing how creative people can be!  As a side note, if you are interested in opening your own etsy shop let me know and we can work on it together!

There are millions of other great websites and online resources for shopping!  (You can even buy your groceries online--let me know if you want to learn more about that!)  These are just a few of my favorites.  Feel free to share some of your favorites with me, each other, or on our blog.

Things to keep in mind when shopping online!

1. Only trust websites that have a closed lock at the bottom right corner of your web browser.  That means that this is a secure website and all private information you share on a website is locked and secure.  This lock cannot be faked!
2. Always check the web address of a website you are shopping on, if it doesn't match up--it's a fake!  For example.  If I'm shopping on Barnesandnoble.com then the address bar must have barnesandnoble.com in the web address.  This could be shop.barnesandnoble.com or secure.barnesandnoble.com, or some sort of combination---but it absolutely must say somewhere barnesandnoble.com!  Not ishopbarnesandnoble.com or webbarnesandnoble.com or barnesandnobleonlineshopping.com or brnsandnble.com  these can all potentially be fakes, even if the website looks legitimate.  These scams are setup in order to steal your information!
3. Don't trust the free iPod advertisements or the e-mails that say you've won a thousand dollars or anything like that.  If it's not a scam then it's just a waste of your time.  The sad thing is that some of these could be legitimate, but there's no way of knowing the real from the fakes.  It's not worth the risk.
4. If you're new to the internet and/or shopping online I would suggest starting by only shopping at major websites, even though there are a lot of small shops on the internet that you can use.  Once you feel comfortable and confident using those you can move on to the smaller websites.
5. Have fun and stay safe, if something seems suspicious then just avoid it.  It could be safe, but when it comes to your financial identity it's better to be safe than sorry.

If there are questions you still have or topics I did not cover here, please feel free to ask.

lucille

http://www.davinciprostatectomy.com/about-prostate-cancer/screening_testing/index.aspx

lucille

elizabeth

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating

venus websites 2/11/11

1.
Inner Ear Deafness
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/summary/97/5/627

2.
brussel sprouts with bacon
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/brussels-sprouts-with-bacon-recipe/index.html

an issue thats really important to me and also something i want to learn frm google

http://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Abstract/1993/07000/The_Effect_of_Pregnancy_Weight_Gain_on_Later.28.aspx

Noemi Rodriguez

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/psychology/

Colombia Fierro

Smart University is a great place to be!

I just love going to Smart University to learn and form friendships with all the wonderful ladies that come here. It is a safe, supportive place with a great staff that is always there to help with any problem that we have. I'm so glad to be here.
Madeline Chiclacos

Madeline Chiclacos Kindness goes a long way

A little kindness goes a long, long way. A simple act of kindness may be just opening up the door for someone or a smile when someone feels down. We should all practice this kindness once a day or even better a few times a day. Try it, it works.

Madeline

zenola

VENUS

ME myself and I are always together.

by Columba and Noemi

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.gif

.jpg

liz

Saving Pictures and Recognizing File Extensions

Many of you know how to save wallpaper images (those are the pictures that show up on your desktop) but did you know you could save picture to your computer too?

With those pictures you can attach, send, or print if you want to.  Just remember that the quality of pictures found on the internet is not always good!

Here's how to save a picture:

1.  Find a picture you want to save.
2. Right click on the picture (only once) so that a drop down menu appears.
3. Pick "Save Picture As...." or "Save Image As..."
4. Choose the folder you want the picture to go in to.  You can also change the name of the file.
6. Click the "Save" button.

You just saved a picture!

Now what can you do with it?  Well how about we put our new saved pictures in a post?

How to post a picture on our blog:

1. Log in and start a new post.
2. Click the icon that looks like a picture.
3. Click "Choose Files..." or "Browse..." this may look different depending on the computer you're on.
4. Open the file and click on the name of the picture (or thumbnail of the picture) you want to post.
5. Click "Add Selected"

Your picture should show up in the post!

You may have noticed that when you save your picture a ".jpg" or a ".gif" showed up.  These are called file extensions.  Like the extension number on a phone, the extension on a file sorts the category of the file. 
Think of the computer as a receptionist and you, the user, are a caller.  The extension at the end of the file tells the computer which department you’re “trying to call.” Without the file extension your call is lost.

Here are some very basic file extensions and what they mean.  We can add to the list as a class if we find more.  The file extensions we'll be looking at today are highlighted.

.txt – Simple text document.

.doc or .docx – Microsoft Word file for text documents.

.jpg – or jpeg, Joint Photographic Experts Group. Image file most commonly used for still digital images. 

.gif – Graphics Interchange Format. Image file that can hold transparencies and animations.  Typically used for animated graphics and icons.

.png – Portable Network Graphics. Improved graphic extension. Smooth like .jpgs, but can hold crispness and transparencies like .gifs.  However, is not supported on older computers.

.pdf – Portable Document Format.  Used for flyers, applications, articles, printable documents. Needs Acrobat Reader to be opened.

.mp3  - Based off of Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG). Standard file format for music and audio.

.mp4 or mp4v – DVD quality audio and video, mostly used on iPods.

TODAY'S ASSIGNMENT!

Now that you know how to save pictures, how to post pictures, and what file extensions are you can complete today's assignment.

1. Grab a partner.  If you have little computer experience or are unsure, make sure your partner seems to know what they're doing and visa versa.
2. Go to Google at least one .jpg and one .gif
3. Go to the blog and post your findings, label which one is which.
4. Publish your post!

Try and pick images that reflect your mood today!

Hint: .jpgs are the easiest to find, but if you're having trouble with the .gifs try this website: http://www.animatedgif.net/
Hint: Another way to find pictures is to just google the file extension in Google Images.