A POTPOURRI OF PC STUFF

By Dave Wallace

RIVER BENDER - April 1999

Since there's so many new PCs and beginners (PC prices are tumbling), this article is a potpourri of PC trivia that comes to mind. Most of it is old hat to old timers. An old timer, of course, is one who's owned a PC for more than a year.

BOOKMARKS - Keep track of Web pages you visit on the Internet by saving bookmarks (MS calls them "favorites") in your browser so you won't have to retype the URLs (Uniform Resource Locators). I create lots of folders in my browser using names like Medical, News, Sports, Music, Computers, etc., within which I file the bookmarks to make them easier to find. Be sure, however, to clean out old ones periodically as they accumulate and some become obsolete. For more on bookmarks see http://www.infopeople.org/bkmk/

MIDI MUSIC - I discovered hundreds of country and bluegrass songs that could be downloaded for free on the Web. Since I play a mandolin, my favorite past time is accompanying MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) songs downloaded. MIDI music is synthesized music created by individuals. Some of it is really bad so I save only the better renditions. Tuners are also available on the Web that enables me to tune my mandolin precisely with MIDI music. Here's a URL with a few free "Oldie" MIDI tunes: http://www.popsplacebbs.com/oldies.htm

E-MAIL LISTS - River Bend and NBCUG both have E-mail lists that allow subscribers to send mail to everybody on the list by addressing their message to a single address. You too can create such a list in your PC's mail program and call it Bridge Club, Garden Club, Jones Family or whatever. The problem with doing it in your own PC is that everybody on the list must do the same or else copy/paste all the addresses from an incoming message to send a message to all others. The River Bend E-mail list got started this way until it became too cumbersome with the long lists of addresses on every message. Now addresses are stored at the ISP (thanks to Carolina Connections) and mass E-mail is easier to use. A member of the list simply addresses his message to rbmail@cconnect.net and it goes to over 125 addresses. If you live in River Bend and would like to be on the list send a message to me at cn1027@XXXcoastalnet.com or Al Kish at alkish@XXXcconnect.net . (See River Bend's Web Page at http://www.ci.river-bend.nc.us). To be on the NBCUG e-mail list, you'll have to attend a meeting and sign in. See the NBCUG Web Page at http://www4.coastalnet.com/nbcug .

CREATE YOUR OWN WEB PAGE - It's surprisingly easy to create your own Web page for free. All you need is software that acts like a word processor but saves your typing and graphic references in HTML language. If you're using the MS Explorer 4.x browser, their free Web page program is called "FrontPage Express". If you're using a Netscape browser, it's called "Composer." MS Word 97 also has the capability to create Web pages. Where do all the cute pictures, animations and music come from? The Web, of course. Also, many people may not realize that they can right-click on any picture or background wallpaper on the Web and download it to their PC. After creating your personal Web page and test running it offline with your browser, the files making up the page must be uploaded to a designated area at your Internet Service Provider (ISP). To do this, one can use the MS FTP program ws_ftp95.exe that comes with Windows 95. A "How-to" guide for members of Coastalnet to create a Web page is at http://www.coastalnet.com/cninfo/howto.htm

MS FLIGHT SIMULATOR 98 - I'm not much into playing games on my PC but I enjoy flying the MS Flight Simulator. The sound and graphics are far more realistic than earlier versions. If you don't know how to fly, a voice instructor will accompany you. If you've flown before, you'll love the instrumentation on your choice of planes such as a 737 jet, Learjet, Bell helicopter and smaller planes. I love to set up terrible weather conditions between airports and try using instruments, including ILS to reach the destination. By the way, Microsoft is currently offering a $20 rebate on FS-98. See their Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/games/fsim/