About Computers & PotpourriComputers Make Life Better for the Elderly click here
Fluorescent Lighting News (see below) or click here
Kim Komando site click here
Don's computer tutorial click here
Trend Micro Antivirus site click here
"Banner Zapper" one way to get rid of those unwanted pop up ad's click here
Want to know who called while you were on the internet? click here
School of Creative Arts on line classes click here
Too many clicks with the mouse
To many clicks with the mouse.
All my various functions including getting online always ask me are you sure and any other various questions or delays. My getting online BellSouth and that's fast speed connection takes 8 clicks of the mouse before I can check my E-Mail and that's way to many. Some years ago I didn't like that but now you would have thought we made some advancement. The name of the game is to be able to do things faster not longer. TIME IS MONEY! If I am the only one experiencing this problem then so be it but I would be willing to bet that all of you no matter what your PC level have the same situation.
I wonder if a bomber pilot when he/she has the target insight goes thru these questions before it releases the bomb or missile? Are you sure you want to release the bomb or Missile?
One thing I have noticed is the size of the video card & PC Ram. My desktop ( 2.8G speed) has 1.5m Ram with a 126 Meg card & it does pretty good when loading those pictures or graphics but my laptop (700 speed), 750K ram, and 8 Meg card for video, is slower.
Take a look at what you have & you may want to increase your Ram & video card for more speed on the internet & especially in the pictures / graphics area.
After getting on a popular forum many had negative results therefore I copied and reprinted the below.
News
To sign partition ( click here )
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
A coalition of industrialists, environmentalists, and energy specialists is banding together to try to eliminate the incandescent light bulb. There is legislation proposed in California, Canada, and Australia to sell only fluorescent light bulbs. While this legislation helps the environment, it hurts people.
Nearly one-quarter of the world's population will suffer negative physical effects if this legislation is allowed to pass. For this portion of the population, fluorescent light triggers headaches, migraines, stomachaches, fatigue, eye strain, anxiety, and irritability. Fluorescent lights can also negatively impact the immune system, literally making people sick. Energy conservation is an important goal that we should strive to achieve, but there are ways to conserve energy that do not hurt 25% of the population. Please don't let your government hurt the people you love. Please sign the petition and send this information to others asking them to sign the petition.
Please read the following information on the toxicity of fluorescent lighting. It was a real eye opener to me; and once you read it, I am sure you will agree and will want to sign the petition immediately!
Environmental Hazards
Fluorescent light bulbs have a toxic substance in them (mercury) and MUST BE RECYCLED IN A MOST RESPONSIBLE WAY. The lack of recycling will put this mercury into landfills where it will leach into drinking water sources and contaminate landfills. Presently, there are no city collection services for toxic substances and each person must go to waste disposal sites, driving miles to safely dispose of them. Casually throwing these bulbs away in the trash may cause untold mercury contamination in the future! It is inevitable that some bulbs will break in the home, contaminating the area with toxic materials such as mercury vapor and exposing the people, pets, and the environment to these hazards. The discussion of this issue has been practically blocked.
Mercury has long been known to have toxic effects on human and wildlife. Mercury is a toxic, persistent, bioaccumulative pollutant that affects the nervous system. As it moves through the environmental media, mercury undergoes a series of complex chemical and physical transformations. Local, state, and federal agencies should be working to reduce the amount of mercury in the environment, not promoting more usage of this highly toxic chemical. No one currently knows how many fluorescent bulbs are in landfills at this time. If we expand their usage, we are adding to a monumental mercury pollution problem.
With all of us working together on this and not procrastinating, hopefully we will achieve success. Such obstacles are worthy of efforts to counteract them.
Thank you,
Helen L. Irlen, MA, LMFT
Executive Director
Irlen Institute International Headquarters
Pilot Project at Edwardsville Elementary: This pilot study looked at presence of Irlen Syndrome/Scotopic Sensitivity in children in School District USD 204. Of the 30 students evaluated, 21 showed evidence of moderate Irlen symptoms and showed moderate-significant improvements in visual perception with colored overlays.
None of the students evaluated were in Special Education. Nevertheless, they were struggling with reading, headaches, frustration, and discomfort from bright lights. The study indicates that a number of children in Edwardsville Elementary School demonstrate Irlen Syndrome. Evaluation and treatment of this condition is likely to lead to improved reading skills and less frustration for many of these students. There should be at least one staff member in each school who is trained to screen students and use the Irlen interventions. Kay Shevling, School Board Member.
State and National Standardized Testing Accept Colored Overlays: The GED, TABE (Tests of Adult Basic Education by CTB McGraw-Hill) and CASAS Test of Life Skills ALL accept colored overlays and lighting modifications to be used during testing at the student’s request.
Colored Overlays Accepted for Standardized Testing: California Department of Education’s website lists colored overlays as a standard accommodation (www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/documents/matrix5.pdf,) Oklahoma also has a website listing colored overlays as a standard accommodation. The easiest method for getting to this website is to do a google search for “colored overlays” and find “accommodations for Students on an IEP or 540 Plan Oklahoma CORE” which will directly link you to the website: www.se.sde.state.ok.us/ses/3-21yrs/accommodationhandout.pdf. The Standards and Assessment Division of Riverside Publishing Company of the Woodcock-Johnson Test list colored overlays are a Category 2 accommodation allowable to all students with an IEP or 504 Plan.
Irlen International Diploma Course. For those of you who are interested in pursuing further study and qualifications, we are pleased to announce the International Diploma of Irlen Institute (IDII). This is a diploma on learning difficulties of which Irlen is one of eight units. The course runs over 18 months and will be conducted on-line through a password-protected portal on the website www.irlenwa.com.au. For information and application form, please email Steve Stanley at steve@irlenwa.com.au.
Books. Margit Tuabenschmid, Visuelle ahrnehmungsschwache und Ir;en-Syndrom (Visual perception condition and Irlen Syndrome);ISSN 1431-7273; ISBN 3-631-52374-2, A German book edited by Univ. Prof. Dr. Richard Olechowski. In the introduction, Univ. Prof. Dr. Richard Olechowski states that the study on Irlen Syndrome is an “important research result for special and remedial education.” The placebo controlled research study proves the significant advantages in reading rate and reading accuracy using Irlen coloured overlays for children with Irlen Syndrome.
LouAnne Johnson, author of the best selling book that inspired the movie Dangerous Minds, has written another book, the Queen of Education, in which she states, “In my own experience, about one-half of a given class of remedial readers showed signs of scotopic sensitivity and responded positively and immediately to using overlays to read. Other teachers have reported similar success.”
Community College Research. Brenda Elliott, an Irlen Screener at one of the community colleges, has been testing and providing overlays to her students in GED or Adult High School programs. She has them take the TABE testing without overlays and then with overlays within less than a week. Improvement ranged from 1.5 grade levels to 4.7 grade levels. The mean improvement was 3.4 grade levels.
Brain Research. Initial results of brain scans of a few individuals with Irlen Syndrome. showed a 4 standard deviation in hyperexcitability and delayed processing. Over excitability alters the input which leads to difficulty with visual integration and visual processing.
Navy Research. The U.S. Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) are sponsoring the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL) to assess the prevalence and possible impact of Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrom or Irlen Syndrome. They also plan to assess the effectiveness of colored overlay intervention.
Courses. Irlen Center Boston with Cambridge College Professional Development, The Distance Learning Program (DLP). “The Brain and Irlen Syndrome” EED641 Course may be taken separately or as part of the Applied Neuroscience Certificate Program. For details contact www.irlenboston.com.
Earth Lights by NASA
or their site showing this picture click here
Computers Make Life Better for the Elderly (Article from Bottom Line Daily News)
"There are three signs of old age," the old joke goes. "First is loss of memory. And I forget the other two." That makes me smile -- but what's underlying this common stereotype about seniors is really not so funny. We all know that age-related mental decline takes simple forgetfulness to far more painful levels.
Computers, of all things, can help -- and not just because they store so much information. It's been demonstrated that brain-teasers and games can help keep mental faculties sharp, and in the past, studies have hinted that computer-based brain games can be especially helpful. (I say "hinted" since many were funded or conducted by software companies with a stake in the outcome.) One I found particularly interesting was recently conducted at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center of Tel Aviv University in Israel, where a clinical trial compared the cognitive improvements of 121 participants age 50 and older. They were asked to use a sophisticated brain-training program called MindFit or classic computer games (such as Tetris or Labyrinth) 30 minutes a day, three times a week for three months.
PICK A GAME... ANY GAME
Yes, this was one of those studies that received funding by a software company to test their products, so I took their conclusions on that front with a grain of salt. But what grabbed my attention was that in this case, regardless of which computer game or program they used, both study groups experienced improvements in areas such as short-term memory, memory recall and focused attention. The very act of focusing -- attentive participation involving higher order thinking, information integration and judgment -- on mental computer tasks appears to be what helps keep the mind sharp... and that is consistent with past research.
Add to that some of the other ways computers can expand horizons -- including building or maintaining social connections, providing access to information on virtually any topic, and even offering the potential to contribute a valued service to a business or nonprofit -- and it seems an excellent idea to encourage computer use by seniors in your life who aren't already connected.
PROVIDING TECH SUPPORT
A common problem is that computers can be frustratingly difficult for people who lack experience with them. Memory issues, lack of confidence and often sensory problems and decreasing motor skills present obstacles that can seem insurmountable -- but they need not be.
I spoke with Scott Rains, senior advisor to with-tv.com (a television station serving people with disabilities) and former director of programs and services at SeniorNet.org, a nonprofit organization that specializes in computer and Internet education for older adults and seniors. He offered advice on how to help computer-wary seniors get started and/or become more comfortable with the computer...
Focus on their interests. Rains suggests starting with a conversation to assess how a computer can (and actually will) be used, prior to buying equipment and software. For instance, says Rains, grandparents may be interested in staying in touch with family through e-mail or receiving regular digital photo updates, while people who enjoy travel may like the convenience of the many travel resources on the Internet. A benefit for housebound seniors may be that they can let their "fingers do their shopping."
Get the right equipment. Seniors with physical disabilities such as arthritis or poor eyesight, may believe these barriers stand in the way of using a computer. That's not usually the case, as specialized equipment is available to adapt computers for just about any disability or challenge. For example, arthritis sufferers can benefit from large-key keyboards, such as those made by BigKeys Keyboards (www.bigkeys.com/) and also specialized "mice" like those from the SmartSolutionPartners (www.sspdirect.com). People with poor vision do better with large-print keyboards, such as those made by ZoomText or screen magnification programs, like BigShot (both at www.aisquared.com).
Take a class. For most inexperienced computer users, success depends on learning how to use the hardware and software. Fortunately there are many resources. "You can find classes at continuing education centers, adult education centers, senior centers, community colleges, libraries and more," says Rains, noting that there are more than 200 SeniorNet Learning Centers across the country, as well. The best senior-oriented computer classes are small, use lots of visual aids, provide a handbook for use at home, work at a pace that allows for plenty of questions and repetition, and are focused on personal enrichment -- not speed, competition or job certification, he says. Ask questions about what classes emphasize before signing up.
Enlist a friendly expert. There are plenty of resources for people who need in-home help setting up computers or solving problems -- including national franchises such as Best Buy, which has partnered with Geek Squad. There is also geeksontime.com. But, says Rains, for computer beginners it can be best to enlist the help of a tech-savvy friend or family member. "You're going to get the best results through an interaction between friends," Rains says. "There's a level of comfort and trust, and a shared culture and language that helps them relate to one another."
Source(s):
Scott Rains, senior advisor to with-tv.com and former director of programs and services, SeniorNet.org.
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