Keyboard shortcuts for Word (repost)

Today is simply turning in to one of those days and demands on my time require that I re-post a prior article. This article describes some time-saving shortcuts that can make working with your word processor go more quickly and easily–

Shortcuts save time and effort. By using keyboard shortcuts when I’m writing (I should say typing) I almost make up for the fact that I never learned to type properly — I do not ‘touch type’; I use a hunt-and-peck style all my own. My bizarre “style” allows me to type at about 35 words-per-minute (when I’m really cooking), and I have to look at the keyboard too frequently.. but I make it work.
I envy those of you who can zap out 60+ wpm without ever looking at your fingers.

Tip of the day: Use Word shortcuts to be a faster typist. In spite of my typing handicap, I manage to produce my documents quite quickly, and I do so by making extensive use of keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts are key combinations that replace using menus or your mouse to do commands or actions. (It is a symbol of Geek skill to go as long as possible without touching your mouse.)It has been years since I have used my mouse to open the “Edit” menu and clicked on the “Copy” option. I always use Ctrl+C, which I learned in Word but is a universal shortcut (it works in [almost] every program). “Ctrl+C” is the same thing as Edit >Copy — and “Ctrl+V” equals “Edit >Paste”. A lesser known/used Edit is “Ctrl+X” (“Cut”) which combined with Ctrl+V allows me to ‘snip’ a sentence out of its current position and paste it in another.
And Ctrl+P and “Enter” (the “Print” command) saves me several mouse clicks when my document is finished. These are probably the most common and well-known shortcuts, and are “universal”.
And don’t forget to Ctrl+S (“Save”) your work as you go along.[Note to Mac users:substitute the “Apple” key for “Ctrl”.]

Basic edits:
Ctrl+C = Copy | Ctrl+X = Cut | Ctrl+V = Paste

Advanced edits:
Ctrl+I = Italics | Ctrl+U = Underscore | Ctrl+B = Bold | Ctrl+L = align, Left | Ctrl+E = align, Center {“C” is already taken for the Copy command} | Ctrl+R = align, Right | Ctrl+J = align, Justify.
Less frequently used are: Ctrl+1 = single space | Ctrl+2 = double space |Ctrl+5 = 1.5 space,
and rarer still, Ctrl+W = double underscore | Ctrl+T = hanging Indent | Ctrl+Shift+W = underscores words, but not spaces

Selecting text: Of course, before you can Copy, or Cut text in your document, you must ‘select’ (“highlight”) it. You do not need to use a mouse to do this, and often a mouse is not the best tool for the job anyway. The selecting shortcut I use most often is “Ctrl+A”, the “Select all” command.

The keyboard method for moving your cursor is to use the arrow keys. Normally the arrow key will move you one ‘space’, or character, (left, right) or one ‘line’ (up, down). This is fine and dandy for fine-tuning selections, but more realistically, you’ll want to select whole words, sentences, or paragraphs and doing it a space at a time is no time-saver! Again, it is the Ctrl key to the rescue.

Moving the cursor:
Ctrl+left arrow = move to beginning of the word (cursor jumps left) | Ctrl+rt. arrow = move to end of word (moves to the right) | Ctrl+up arrow = move to beginning of the paragraph | Ctrl+down arrow = …well, I’m sure you’ve guessed by now… | Ctrl+Home = jump to beginning of document | Ctrl+End = jump to last word entered

I use these a lot:
Ctrl+Backspace = delete last word (left) | Ctrl+Del = delete next word (right) | Ctrl+Z = undo last action

To select sections of text, simply add the “Shift” key to shortcuts above. Ctrl+Shift+left arrow will select the word you just typed, for example.

That’s enough for today. If you would like to see a more complete listing of Word shortcuts, click on the “Help” menu and enter the word “shortcuts”. You will find many, many more. With a little practice, you will soon be using these shortcuts as second nature, and saving yourself a lot of wasted motion in the process.

Today’s free link: If you would like to have your own website — for a small side-business, or you’re just getting started — and you’re on a limited budget, the free Microsoft Office Live Basic is, IMHO, your best bet (It does not put ads on your site, for one thing). Templates make it easy for folks with no previous experience to get up and running.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.

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Nobody reads me on Saturdays

I was seriously tempted to take a shortcut today, and just re-post a prior article. As I mentioned earlier this week, being an Internationally Renown Tech Writer and producing (original) articles six-days-a-week is hard work.. and I get tired [somber music plays here]. I had rationalized this decision to re-post with the help of my stats. And my stats tell me nobody reads me on Saturdays.

I have, as almost all Websites do, various statistic gatherers and counters, which tell me all kinds of interesting tidbits about this site’s traffic and visitors. (And I confess I look at these statistics frequently.) These statistics tell me that I usually have half as many “views” on Saturdays as I do on any other day (including Sunday).. I guess people have better things to do with their weekends.

Did I mention that I look at my stats frequently? Yes? Well, the truth is sometimes I get a little carried away.. and become just a teeny bit “stat happy”. It’s a weakness. Symptoms of “stat happiness” include: crying when your numbers go down, and spending hours “tweaking” your site’s keywords and metatags.. and thinking of ways to slip “hot” Google words into your text. Like; giveaway, free, sex, hot sex, XXX, Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears, secret video, (let’s see.. hmm..) hidden camera, product key codes, crack.. (There. That should help.)
Stat Happy-ness can take the form of obsession. I’ve seen it happen.

I like my stat counters (but obsession is a little ways off yet) and, I have gathered some interesting conclusions about people.. and the world.. and stuff, because of the information available from them. For instance..
1) In the USA: The people in the central states are really computer savvy, and have their machines running like a fine-tuned Stradivarius. They have no use for the advice and Tips & Tricks offered here.. nor the “how to troubleshoot _______” articles. I know this because (almost) all of my US visits come from the coasts (a bit more coming from the right coast than the Lefty coast).
I also have learned that there’s only one computer in Alaska.. and it’s in Fairbanks (Hell-O, Fairbanks!).

2) The Chinese: There apparently is some activity allowed out of Hong Kong, but I have never received a visit or a view from the mainland. I think the Great Wall of China is really a firewall.

3) Africa: sheeze, what a mess. South Africa visits me occasionally, and so do some of Arabian states.. but I guess the rest of the continent is too busy trying to eat.. and avoid the machetes of rival tribes to have time to visit little ‘ole me (and whatever computers they have are being used to send Nigerian Scam e-mails…)

4) Apparently, this site doesn’t translate into Japanese very well…

5) G’day to all my mates down under! How about posting a Comment from time to time? I didn’t think you guys were bashful… (I’m HUGE in New Zealand, btw). Crikey.

6) Europe and the Scandinavia’s: Tech–for Everyone does pretty well in Europe, and into the “satellite states” and Balkans.. but I haven’t ‘penetrated’ into Russia yet. Spain I don’t do so well in. Nobody visits from Norway (but Sweden is another story), or Denmark. Most of my European visitors come from Deutschland.

7) Central and South America: I have very few visitors from here, but the ones I do are regular readers. I appreciate loyalty.

Another fact I find interesting is that of all the nearly 300 articles I have written, two or three are by far-and-away more popular than the rest. The number one, all time, most popular Tech–for Everyone (There. I’ve inserted it three times now) article has to do with the Windows Taskbar vanishing: My Taskbar disappeared and other simple tweaks.

Well.. that was fun. And, I did write an article after all… sort of.

Today’s free link: Today I am letting you know that there is a new release of a very good all-in-one program for keeping your machine running right. I have recommended it here before, so if you have it, be sure to “upgrade” it to this new version.. and if you don’t, Advanced WindowsCare Personal from Iobit is on my Top 10 free downloads list.

[Update: for those of you who are curious, the keywords and tags I so facetiously added did, in fact, produce a few more visits. And by “few” I mean a dozen. I guess people just aren’t as interested in free hot XXX as I thought…]

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.

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Problem Exists: between chair and keyboard

PEBCAK: (The) problem exists between (the) chair and (the) keyboard.

Ten-T Error: This error code is visual, sorta like a vanity license plate– ID:10T.

This is how Tech Support people used to refer to the Number One Cause of all technical support service calls (Help Desk)– Operator Error.
People who use computers (and other “high tech” devices) don’t always know what they’re doing.. or fully understand the mechanics behind the cause-and-effect.
People generally don’t read the manual. They turn it on and go.

Yes folks, when you give us a call, the odds are good we’re not going to diagnose a true software misconfiguration or hardware malfunction.. we’re going to figure out what you are doing wrong. We tech support-types need to be Behaviorists, Psychologists, Counselors, and Professors before we even start learning about Windows or command lines.

Needless to say, people who work at the Help Desk have heard some truly astounding Ten-T errors. And being people too, they tell their co-workers about the more memorable ones. In fact there are some legendary 10-T’s in the PEBCAK Hall of Fame, which have been so oft-repeated that their origin is untraceable.. for example the lady who thought her CD-ROM’s tray was a cup-holder. Or..

Call #1
TechSupt: “Okay, now close the window and..”
Caller: “Okay. Hold on.” clunk (puts phone down)
Footsteps.
Scrape/thunk.
Footsteps.
Caller: “Okay, I closed the window.. but I don’t see how that’s going to help my computer problem.”

Call#2
Caller: “I just got your new computer home and out of the boxes and all set up.. but it won’t turn on. Something is seriously wrong with it, and I want my money back.”
TechSupt: “Did you plug it in?”
Caller hangs up.

I will tell you that the calls that come in to me at Aplus Computer Aid are almost never Ten-T errors. I do not have one personal humorous story to share with you; 99.9% of all of my calls have been real issues that needed professional help.
I do not think this is due to people being any smarter today than they were ten years ago (hah!), but is due to the fact that the technology has improved/”matured”, and we have been using it longer. Plug ‘N Play mostly works, and DOS is long gone. Still..

Tip(s) of the day: RTFM (read the *freaking* manual). Sure, it is easier to buy a new gizmo, gadget, or doodad, bring it home and take it over to your geeky friend/relative/co-worker/neighbor and ask them to show you how to use it.
And, yes, the manual that comes with your gadget has too many pages.. and the grammar isn’t always the best.. but here is how you learn THE CORRECT METHODS for using your device.. and not Fred’s* best guesses at how to use it.
Also.. those blinking lights and confusing menus and strange-looking icons are explained.

FAQ stands for “frequently asked questions”, and almost every device manufacturer has FAQ’s posted on their Website. These are the “How do I..?” and “What does xyz mean?” questions and answers that new users typically have. You will probably find the answer you’re looking for here, without having to go bother Fred*.
Some manufacturer’s call this page “Support”.

Owner’s manuals and FAQ pages can prevent you from making it into the PEBCAK Hall of Shame.

Today’s free link: Loyal Friends and True of this series know that I like to post lighter, more “fun” links on Friday’s and today is no exception. A wonderful collection of humorous tech support questions and Ten-T errors can be found here.
Explore the various ‘categories’ and get a glimpse of what life is like for tech support persons, and a good laugh or two as well (and odds are good, you’ll feel smarter afterwards too).

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.

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Credit Card 2.0

I got my new, two-point-oh credit card yesterday, and now I have to line my wallet with lead.
I ain’t funnin’. I’m dead serious. And no, I haven’t lost my mind (yet).

Another Bad Idea Dep’t: Like most bad ideas, Credit Card 2.0 is being marketed to the sheeple unwashed masses general public as a “good thing”, a convenience which will make our lives better.. and safer. When, of course, the exact opposite is true. Today I’m going to tell you about Credit Card 2.0, and tell you why you might want to line your purse with tinfoil too.

CC 2.0 is being marketed as “Tap N Go” and/or “PayPass”. Maybe you’ve heard of it. (Or seen those really annoying TV commercials where some store is clicking along like clockwork until a buyer tries to pay with cash..) Doesn’t this sound nice? “Imagine going to the mall and shopping all day, while never having to stop and fumble with your purse or wallet to make a purchase. Imagine the peace of mind you’ll have, knowing that potential thieves will not have access to seeing your credit card number or stealing your signature.” [from RFIDglobal.org]
Yes.. Utopia.
I love to shop at the mall all day, and I hate fumbling with my purse or wallet.*
I love peace of mind as well.

My replacement card looks absolutely the same as my previous card (except it has that new car smell) and there is only one clue that indicates that it is indeed a “2.0” credit card.. and not some 20th Century, plain-old 1.0 credit card.. a little symbol in the upper rt. corner, of four curved lines very similar to the RSS feed symbol. (If they hadn’t shown me, I’d have never known.) Take a look at your credit cards and see if you have it. Credit Card 2.0 has been available for a while now.
If your current cc does not have this “feature”, the next one they send you will. I guaranty. It’s easier to control a cashless society.

What is “Credit Card 2.0”? It is a radio transponder. It is part of the ‘miracle’ known as “RFID” (Radio Frequency Identification). This means you don’t have to “swipe” your credit card in a card-reader to transfer your vital digital digits, you just have to move it near another (special) transponder [a wireless card-reader]. Your bank info is transmitted wirelessly (and to further push this Bad Idea, I don’t think you even have to sign.. or enter a pin. How convenient!). Thus, tap.. and go.

But it gets worse. These wireless card readers are small and portable and can be battery powered. That means I can carry one. That means: if I carry one (in my purse, say), and move it near your wallet, I’ve just wirelessly picked your pocket and stolen your bank info (and pin). Please don’t laugh. Thieves are already doing this, and it’s been on all the major ‘news’ shows. {It is fairly typical for the thieves to be females and carry the reader in a handbag. They simply stand in checkout lines, or ride up and down in elevators.. places where close physical proximity is normal.. and the reader does all the work.}
This article claims that thieves can rig a card reader “no bigger than a pack of gum, for under $50”.

Whether this new “2.0” wireless credit card is truly as vulnerable as a pure RFID device, or if it is a “smart card” and does require that I enter my PIN, I still don’t like it. (As a matter of fact, I don’t care for what Credit Card 1.0 and “easy credit” has done to our economy either. I avoided credit cards –in general– for the longest possible time. I only have one. And I use it only to buy things online.)
Consumer Affairs.com says this, “Technology pundits and privacy organizations alike have derided the usage of RFID tagging for important documents or identification as a violation of personal privacy, and an invitation to steal one’s information.”

I detest and fear that Credit Card 2.0 is pushing us — voluntarily, mind you — towards a cashless society. A cashless society is great.. until for some bizarre and unexpected reason (such as the computer thinks you didn’t pay a parking ticket) your happy “beep” comes back DENIED.
Then.. how do you eat? DENIED. Pay for gas? DENIED. Explain to the clerk it’s a computer error? (But it isn’t. Some Bureaucrat entered your account number, and you can clear it up by going to the proper building and filling out the proper forms. Maybe. Eventually. As long as you can prove it wasn’t you who got a parking ticket.) With a $20 bill, you will eat.
Get it?

Got a few minutes? Google “dangers of a cashless society” and take a look at some of the scholarly results.. and some of the “kook” ones too. Really. Check it out. Think about how it transfers power from something you have in your hand, to some company’s (or Gov’t agency’s) computer.
Well, enough rant..

I can’t change the course mankind seems bent on following, but I can line the insides of my wallet with tinfoil and stop wireless pick-pockets (it works). And crazy as that sounds, (and I admit, it does sound nuts) I advise you to do the same. You take other steps to make things harder for thieves, don’t you? Like, locking your car door?

* Pure-D facetiousness. To me, a shopping mall is a preview of Aitch-e-double-toothpicks.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.

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Ignorance is bliss

• Teach your kids that not everything they read or see online is true. Encourage them to ask you if they’re not sure.

I came across this bullet-point on a security vendor’s* helpful tips & advice page. I was looking at Internet Safety tips for parents sites, as part of my relentless pursuit of bringing you, Dear Reader, the best gosh-durn information possible. (‘Cause that’s the kinda guy I am.) That particular point was #10 on a 10 Things Parents Should Do list.
It’s a good bullet-point. Agreed?

Not to get too far off the topic here, but how are parents supposed to do that when they themselves haven’t learned it? People believe what they see in print.. and what the CBS Evening News tells them.

Okay.. I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about people. Them. All those other cars on the freeway. They believe it because they read it in their local paper, or saw it on TV. Or.. CNN.  Or they “Googled it”.
And those things don’t lie.
Right?

[The media are businesses. Businesses need to make profits. Headlines sell papers. Fear makes headlines. Add it all up and you get– The Media is in the business of profiting from your fears. Frankly, IMHO, the worst kind of profiteering.]

How many lies, distortions, or “misreporting’s” have you found in print or seen on TV as you’ve traveled down life’s path? One? Two? Each and every day?

Here’s the Truth: The Internet is the worst possible source of information because any-old nutcase with a computer can publish there (like I am doing right now) AND it is the best possible source of information because any-old nutcase with a computer can publish — without government interference, unmotivated by profit, and “say it as he sees it” (like I am doing right now).
A confusing dichotomy.

A confusing dichotomy I urge you to always remember.. and to tell your kids about… that should make for an interesting conversation!

Tip of the day: Don’t be ignorant of the dangers of the Internet. Educate yourself and your friends and your kids about online predators, identity-stealing spyware, and phishing e-mails, and take steps to get protected. (A good way to do that is to become one of this site’s regular readers. To make it easy, click on the orange “feed” icon, or “Bookmark” me.)

* The advice page referred to is at Webroot’s (SpySweeper) Website. Their advice page is here. It has four main categories: Internet Dangers, Online Activities, Threats, and Resources.
Of course, modestly sprinkled in with all the free advice is urgings to buy their product (which is OK, SpySweeper is consistently in the Top 3) which you are free to ignore. There is some really good information there, and it’s bullet-point easy to read. It is Today’s free link.

If you have a computer in your home, and you have a child in your home, you might also want to take a look at my other Internet+Kids related articles. Clicking this link will produce a page with all my past articles that are ‘tagged’ with those keywords.

Did you miss my Top 10 list? Click here for my Top 10 Things You Should Do To Your Computer.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.

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Your Internet tracks and cookie crumbs

I have posted several advice articles on your computing safety, and that of your child’s, in the past. It is my personal passion to thwart digital Evil Doers. I cannot emphasize enough that there are steps you can — and should — take to reduce your risks of Identity Theft and malware infections. I have posted these steps for you to take advantage of (free), and I will continue to do so. I encourage you to use the Search box in the upper right to find and read past Tech–for Everyone security articles.

Tip of the day: Increase your security and privacy by removing your browsing tracks. All browsers record histories, store copies of the webpages you’ve visited, and to be helpful, store your login User Names and Passwords (“cookies”), and the answers to forms you’ve filled out. Your machine is programmed to be as fast, efficient, and helpful as it can, and it takes steps you may not be aware of to do this.

For instance, your browser will store a “temporary” copy of this webpage in one of many “temp” folders, and make a note of the time. This is done so that should you return to this page, your machine can load it from local memory– which is much faster than downloading HTML instructions, text, and graphics and building the page. It uses the timestamps to determine if there’s been changes to the “source” page, and if there has been, it will download the newer page, or element. This helps to give you the illusion of a “fast Internet”.
Other automatic conveniences that record your personal information are Autocomplete, Autofill, and AutoLogon. This is usually accomplished through the use of cookies. (In spite of what you may have heard, all “cookies” are not “bad”.) Hackers know where to look for all this stored information, and they know how to exploit it. Today I am going to show you how to counteract, and change some of this automatic behavior and help you keep your privacy, well, private. The geek lingo for this is “tracks erasing.”

Start by opening IE and clicking on the down-arrow to the right of the Tools menu and selecting Internet Options. (Loyal readers of this blog will already be familiar with this window.)

In the “Browsing History” area, click on the “Delete” button. Now a menu window will open.

Here you are presented with your choices of what to erase (or to “delete all”) and what not. I recommend getting into the habit of regularly clicking on the first, third, and fourth delete buttons — Temp files, History, and Form data. [Form data is particularly important to erase if you have made an online payment, and/or entered your credit card number. Even if you did so on a Secured site.] 

Tip of the day #2: set IE to erase the “temp” files automatically. Click on the Advanced tab of Internet Options, and scroll down to the Security list of settings. Place a check (select) in the checkbox next to “Empty Temporary Internet files when browser is closed”, as shown below. Then click “Apply”, and “OK”.

This will remove any residual code your browser has picked up from various sites you’ve visited, and render it harmless.

Tip of the day #3:  Being a student of Human Nature, I can guess that the number of folks who actually do end their Internet surfing day by clicking Tools >Internet Options > Delete (Browsing history) is …well, um, ZERO [ A quick survey: please, raise your hand if you regularly do this. Uh huh. That’s what I thought.]
Fortunately, there are many free programs that automate that command string (script) and will do this for us without any further thought or input on our part, (which is good because we have enough stuff to try to remember to do) called “tracks erasers”. My personal choice of these tools is listed below.

[Note: for more on your browser’s  History feature, and how it can be used to your benefit, click here.]

Today’s free link: the tool I use to erase the digital breadcrumbs on my machines is Absolute Shield Internet Eraser. From site: “AbsoluteShield Internet Eraser protects your privacy by cleaning up all the tracks of your Internet and computer activities. The tool is integrated with IE and it can erase the browser cache, history, cookies, typed URLs, autocomplete list and so on in one click. You can also set the tool to automatically erase those tracks when you quit IE or quit Windows.”

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.

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Sometimes, it’s hard to be me.

Here it is, Monday again, and yes, Dear Reader, it’s true– sometimes it is a little bit tough being me. Maybe you have felt that way yourself a time or two. (If so, feel free to use my title line… properly attributed, of course.)

Being an Internationally Renown Tech Blogger isn’t all a bed of roses and glamour. No! It is a lot of work; and requires a 24/7  by 365 dedication. And sometimes, Dear Reader, (hold on to your hat) I don’t feel like writing.. about tech or about anything else. Hurrumph.
Perhaps, sometime in your distant past, you have felt a similar feeling.

A really smart fella I happen to know, tells me there’s all kinds of reasons  (and I mean, medical, and other scientific-al-type reasons) why a person might experience such a sensation. And the best part is he has a “cure”.. which, because he and I are such great pals, he gladly shared with me. Because you and I, Dear Reader, are such great pals, I’m going to share it with you.

Vacation.

And he has a certain point: the way the dollar is shrinking? Might as well get away to somewhere while it’ll still buy you a ticket. Six months from now might be too late.

It has been a very long time since I went on a real vacation.. and perhaps some of you can say the same thing. It just hasn’t seemed to work out that the extra money and the extra time have been as plentiful as the bills and the Things That Need Doing Today (list).
Oh well. I ain’t complaining, nor sniveling.

Tip of the day: If you’re like me, and it’s been a little too long since you gave yourself a real vacation, go online and find yourself a real deal. Do a little searching, and I bet that you’ll find an offer too good to pass up. Then.. actually book your reservation.
That way, you won’t be sitting there feeling like I feel right now.. and, you’ll have something to look forward to (before the trip), and then something new to talk about (afterwards).

There are, literally, hundreds of traveler’s websites. I suggest you “play around with” more than just one (planning is, after all, half the fun).
And I suggest to you that you “explore” the possibility of a Destination other than Disney World or Honolulu. Do something really.. extraordinary this time. (Like what, you ask? Well.. hmmm.. how about  Vienna? Or, Moscow? Or,.. Kuala Lumpur. Or include some semi-dangerous activity.. like, para-gliding in Rio? Or, white-water rafting in Australia?) That will give you great conversation pieces when you get home again!

Today’s free link(s): Great trips come from great research and planning.. and feeling good about them comes from getting good prices. Start out with some of the better-known travel websites, such as Travelocity, Priceline, and SmartTraveler.com. Be sure to click on any User Reviews-type links you find, and take a look at the hotel’s reviews, too.
Once you’ve spent a little time there, then hop over to Wikitravel. Click on a continent, or type in a keyword, and start getting excited.. because this year, baby, you’re going to do it! (I hope.)

* If you know of a must-look-at travel Website, please let us know by leaving a Comment.
[update: I have already received e-mails recommending Orbitz. Please, folks, leave your suggestions as Comments so we all can see them.]

Copyright 2007-8 Tech Paul. All rights reserved.

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