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Create Scrolling Screensaver
Q. I would like to create a scrolling message on my screen to welcome my
daughter home from college, but I can't seem to figure out how to do that. Can
you help me with this, Mr. M?
A. Absolutely! Go to your Control Panel and click Display > Screen Saver tab.
(Vista users, go to Control Panel > Appearances and Personalization > Screen
Saver.) Using the drop-down menu under Screen Saver, click to select Marquee
(select 3D Text in Vista), then click the Settings button. You will see where
you can enter your welcome message, adjust its position, select your text style,
color and related aesthetic tweaks.
Q. I’m using Gmail, thanks to your recommendation, and I really like it. I
often send email to the same list of people. How can I do that in Gmail, Mr. M?
A. You’ll need to place your list of recipients into a group. Once you create
the group, type in the group name and let Gmail (www.gmail.com)
do the rest.
To create a group from existing contacts, select Contacts from the left-side
navigation bar. Place a check beside each of the contacts you want to add to the
new group, then click the Groups drop-down menu and select “Add To New Group.”
Type in a name for your new group and click OK.
To address a message to the group, create a new message, then type your email
address in the To: field. Next, click Add Bcc: and type the name of your group
in the Bcc: field.
The list will be automatically expanded so you will see the individual group
members in the Bcc: field. You can then add or remove addresses, as you wish.
Q. My Start menu’s list of programs in XP displays three columns, but the third
column, the one farthest to the right, is so far to the right that it is
unreadable. Can I move it more to the left?
A. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you can't move it to the left.
Those columns are automatically adjusted as wide as needed to accommodate the
length of the longest program’s name. One thing you can do, however, is
right-click any long program names, select Rename, and make each name shorter.
For example, if you rename Microsoft Internet Explorer to “IE” and Windows Media
Player to “WMP,” and similarly, shorten the names of other longer-named
programs, you will have much narrower columns.
As an alternative, right-click the Start button, click Properties > Customize >
Advanced. Scroll down the list and select Scroll Programs, followed by OK. This
will cause your programs to appear in a single, scrollable column instead of
fanning out to the right. (Bonus Tip: If you want to place programs in
alphabetical order, right-click an entry, then select Sort by Name.)
Q. I know this is an unusual question, but do you know if there is anything
online that can test for color blindness? Thanks, Mr. M.
A. Before disseminating any information of this type, for purposes of full
disclosure, I am not a doctor, nor do I portray one on television, though I do
believe in the healing powers of chicken soup. With that caveat, there is a
color blindness test located at the appropriately named ColorVisionTesting (http://colorvisiontesting.com
Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month
Marketing IQ Test
The test consists of 20 questions that will evaluate your ability to recognize
companies and products by their associated marketing efforts, such as an item’s
logo, tagline, mascot, etc. The test has a cheesy game show feel to it, and a
jaunty little tune plays in the background while you select your answers from
the multiple choices presented.
http://tinyurl.com/n5h3bw
The Dorcus Collection
A collection of men's fashion photography from the ‘50s, ‘60s and polyestered
‘70s. Caution: Some of the language on this site is a bit on the coarse side, so
sensitive readers or those easily offended, please be forewarned.
http://tinyurl.com/ktj8a5
The Good Earth
View stunning images of this little pellet we call Earth. Images are taken by
satellites, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station. This
multimedia tour allows you to experience the Earth as you have never seen it
before. There is a choral-music sound track that accompanies the slideshow that
I could do without, though the voices of the Apollo 8 astronauts from their
first transmission in 1968 is interesting. A full, 244MB version is available
for five dollars, though I found the Web-based freebie to be out of this
world.
http://tinyurl.com/n7th3c
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