Ask Mr. Modem! – July 2007
www.MrModem.com
Q . How can I check the amount of memory I have on my computer? At one time I
saw a blue and pink diagram of how much used and free space I had, but I can’t
remember how to get to that. Thanks, Mr. M. I love your newsletter.
A. Hard drive space (what you observed in blue and pink), and memory (or RAM,
which is short for Random Access Memory) are two different things, though they
are frequently confused. Think of your hard drive as long-term storage. Your
hard drive is where all your data files and software programs reside. It doesn’t
matter if your computer is on or off, that data remains on your hard drive.
RAM, on the other hand, is short-term memory. When you’re using a program, it
emerges from its long-term storage on the hard drive and moves into short-term
memory for speed of access. When your computer is turned off, nothing in memory
is retained. That’s why it’s a good idea, even if you leave your computer on all
the time, to periodically restart it, to purge your system’s memory.
To check your main hard drive’s space, double-click My Computer, right-click
your C: drive, and select Properties. On the pie chart, you’ll see free space in
pink and used space in blue.
To check how much memory is installed on your computer, go to your Control Panel
and double-click the System icon. RAM appears under the Computer Section of the
System Properties screen.
Q. I have a digital camera and was curious how I can create a super-wide or
panoramic photo? Is there some way to do that?
A. By definition, a panoramic photo captures a view that is wider than what the
camera is capable of taking. For example, if you’re at a scenic overlook and
want to take a 180-degree photo of the vast expanse below, one snapshot isn’t
going to be able to take it all in.
Taking multiple photos and taping them together is one way to create a panoramic
photo, though the whirring sound you may hear in the background will be Ansel
Adams spinning in his grave. “The Master” would not approve of the Scotch-tape
approach to panoramic photography.
Through the miracle of software, however, comes AutoStitch (http://tinyurl.com/5xa4o),
heralded as “a new dimension in automatic image stitching.” AutoStitch allows
you to select multiple photos and stitch them together to create one big,
beautiful panoramic image. Take a look at the spectacular example on the
AutoStitch Web site. The photo of a mountain range is composed of 57 individual
photos stitched together. Be sure to check out the Panorama Gallery (http://tinyurl.com/dmmay)
while you’re there. AutoStitch is free if not used for commercial purposes.
Commercial versions are also available.
Q. How can I create special characters, such as accent marks that appear
over French and Spanish letters?
A. Special keystroke combinations will provide those (and many other) special
characters. For example, using the numeric keypad located to the far right of
many keyboards, pressing ALT + 0234 will create the ê symbol. (Just to clarify
that process, hold down the ALT key, then press 0-2-3-4 in sequence, then
release the keys.)
For additional information, read my Special Characters article at
http://tinyurl.com/33g6qc. The Accents, Symbols & Foreign Scripts Web site
at
http://tinyurl.com/2tqzxn explains how to create accent marks and special
characters in hundreds of languages, from Afrikaans to Yiddish. Sorry, no Zulu.
Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month - July 2007
Fantastic Fruit
Fruit is nature's dessert, providing healthy and delicious snacks that should
make up an essential part of any diet. Seriously. The Fruit Pages contain
everything you could possibly want to know about fruit. Those who aren’t fruit
enthusiasts will probably think Fantastic Fruit is the pits, but it’s actually
quite informative.
www.thefruitpages.com
Internet Slang Translator
As the Internet continues to evolve, so does its native language. This site
translates Internet acronyms and terms commonly used in email, chat rooms, and
text messaging, into readable text. This is especially useful for parents whose
children are now talking in virtual tongues while communicating online. For
example, The Translator can take an incomprehensible sentence such as, "lol. i'm
afk, bbiab d00d," and translate it into a much easier to understand, but equally
unintelligent, “Laughing out loud. I'm away from keyboard. Be back in a bit,
Dude. (If this isn’t a sign that civilization is coming to an end, I don’t know
what is.)
www.noslang.com
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