Download of the week for all laptop owners. This will
make your laptop fonts look really crisp and make them easier
on your eyes: CLEAR TYPE! If you have Windows
XP, it’s built in. Just:
1. Right click on blank area of the
desktop.
2. Switch to appearance tab.
3. Click Effects...
4. Check “Use the following
method to smooth edges of screen fonts”
5. Choose ClearType.
6. Click OK.
Great REFERENCE Sites
Here are a few internet sites that help you find useful information
- From downloading a book to
read, to
- Making an international call,
to
- Finding out how much it cost
to mail a letter or package figuring out foreign postal addresses,
to
- Looking up health hoaxes,
to
- Researching public information
available on the internet!
Read E-Book Classics
Nothing promotes the Net’s “information wants
to be free” philosophy quite like Project Gutenberg
(http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/cgi-bin/sdb/t9.cgi/) . The
site offers free downloads of more than 6000 electronic books
in ASCII format, an eclectic selection ranging from fairy
tales of the Brothers Grimm to the writings of Winston Churchill
and William Shakespeare. A worldwide network of mirror sites
ensures you’ll get your downloads quickly.
Make an International Phone Call
Type in the country you’re calling from and the country
you wish to reach at the EmbassyWorld search engine site
(http://www.embassyworld.com/directories/global_telephone.html),
and it will tell you what you need to dial to place that call.
For instance, from Indonesia, Dial 00 86 and the phone number
you wish to reach in China. The site also links to 700 residential
and business phone directories, with the relevant directories
listed on the results page.
Calculate Postage
Calculating postal rates (including overseas mailings http://ircalc.usps.gov/
), looking up zip codes (http://www.usps.com/zip4/welcome.htm),
or purchasing US stamps—by going to the US Postal Service’s
site
(http://www.usps.com/ncsc)
Research Public Records
Every state has different rules about what records the public
can access. The http://www.searchsystems.net site offers links
to thousands of records, categorized by geographical region
and subject. You can find links to records about foreclosures,
professional state licenses, property reports, missing-person
databases, and college alumni lists, among others.
Sort Out Valid Health Concerns
Some pretty far-fetched stuff can make its way into your in-box,
so check the facts before you join the rumor mill. The
CDC’s list of hoaxes (http://www.cdc.gov/hoax_rumors.htm)
can help you determine what you should take note of and what
you should ignore. Poisonous perfume samples sent through
the mail?That’s just a hoax. Ditto those reports about
tainted Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Take the Guesswork Out of Foreign Postal Addresses
Postal conventions vary widely from country to country. Wondering
if you should place the street number before the apartment
number, or vice versa when you’re mailing a package
to Italy? The Columbia Univerisity site’s guide to international
postal addresses (http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/postal.html)
sorts out confusing postal rules, codes, and abbreviations.
