Using Your TV as a Computer Screen
Sometimes you want a little more viewing space than what a computer screen can provide. Most people these days have a TV screen that's significantly larger than their computer screen, so using their TV as a makeshift computer screen is an easier and more economical solution than buying a larger computer screen. Fortunately, it's pretty simple getting it set up. First, however, you'll need to make sure your TV and computer cables are compatible with each other. Check and see that both have a port for a VGA cable. As long as they both do, it should work.
Connect the VGA cable with the input slot on your computer and the output slot on your TV. Next, connect the audio cable from the headphone jack on your computer to the audio input jack on your TV. After you have the VGA and audio cables connected, adjust the settings on your TV so that they accept the output signal from the cables.
Once you've connected the cables and adjusted the settings on your TV, set your computer to projection mode. Read your owner's manual to know how to adjust the settings for your specific computer, but it's usually a hot key combination like "function and F5 or F8."
You'll know you have everything set up correctly when your computer screen projects onto the TV screen. Using your TV to project your computer screen can really come in handy if you're teaching a class and want more people to be able to see your screen, or if you're playing a computer game. It can also be useful if the DVD player connected to your TV dies; most computers now allow you to play DVDs, so you can play the movie on your computer but project it onto your TV.
Have Bored Kids? Send Them On An Internet Scavenger Hunt
A viral email message circulated for a while that was a screenshot of a message reading, "Congratulations... you've reached the end of the Internet! Thanks for searching!" For those of us who make our living on the Internet or spend much of our free time watching viral videos, researching random bits of information, or armchair traveling and dreaming of future vacations, reaching the end of the Internet is, thankfully, impossible. However, if it's a lazy day, your kids are bored, and you don't mind them spending a few hours on the Internet, consider keeping them occupied with an Internet scavenger hunt.
A simple Internet search for ?Internet scavenger hunt? yields thousands of results, so choose one based on your children's interests, or maybe a subject you might want them to learn about. An Internet scavenger hunt about trees, for example, will send your little explorers searching for how many species of trees there are in the world, what the outer most layer of a tree is called and what it does, and what the name of a scientist who studies trees is called. Curious by nature anyway, children welcome opportunities to learn information in a fun way, so you may even make it a competition. If you have multiple computers in the house, for example, you may send your kids on the same hunt and reward the one who finishes first with correct answers with a prize.
Without even realizing it, children will learn about a subject and also learn how to research on the web quickly but effectively, a valuable skill in today?s ever more web-based world. You?ll be happy knowing your children are productively occupied and having fun, and that you?re doing more than just parking them in front of a computer to play a mindless computer game. So the next time your kids are crying boredom and you?re at a loss for a new activity, send them Internet scavenging!
Safely Online Shopping
Who doesn't love shopping in their pajamas? Online shopping allows you to shop from the privacy of your home or anywhere else, but you need to take precautions to make sure your online transactions are secure and that your identity and credit card number remain your personal business. In much the same way as you likely don't patronize restaurants you've never heard any buzz about or avoid handing over your credit card to any random street vendor, be cautious about who you give your money to. Many online patrons take comfort in shopping at the online versions of brick and mortar stores they've patronized for years, but I think it's fun to be able to choose from all different kinds of online retailers, but first do a little homework. The company's contact information should be easily accessible, so make sure on their website you can find the name of the company, their physical address, phone numbers, and street addresses. Call the customer service line and make sure someone answers or you get a recording.
Reading the lengthy, verbose privacy statement is out of the question for a lot of time-conscious shoppers, but you don't need to read it all, anyway. Do make sure you know the answers to these 3 questions, though, before you click "I agree":1) Will the company share your information with a third party? 2) Do they reserve the right to change their privacy policy without notifying their customers? and 3) Can you request to be removed from their database? If the company will share your information with a third party or could change their privacy policy without notifying you, shopping with them is risky and you'll probably want to take your business elsewhere.
Once you've trudged through the privacy policy and you know the site is secure, you're ready to make your purchase. If you have a credit card, use it for online purchases over using your debit card. Many credit card companies offer their members protection like extended warranties and coverage for restocking fees (if you have to return what you purchase). Before you click to confirm your order, make sure the amount your card is going to be charged is correct, including price of the item, shipping and handling fees, and applicable sales tax. Lastly, print a copy of your receipt or save it on your computer for your records.