The Senior Surfer: February 2009

Cats and dogs aren't the only ones carving out a niche in the lighter side of the Web. Birds have something to squawk about too, as evidenced by this popular YouTube video:

For each question in today's quiz you'll be given a statement and you must decide which Internet subject best categorizes it. You have four choices: e-mail, Web browsers, search engines, or social networking.

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #23

Didn't get a chance to see President Obama's Address to Congress last night? Not to worry--thanks to C-Span.org and YouTube, you can watch it in its entirety online:

Here's some welcome news for those of you who enjoy reading The Senior Surfer but wouldn't mind giving your eyes a rest from time to time. Starting today, you can listen to these posts instead of reading them, if you choose!

To listen to The Senior Surfer, you can subscribe to the podcast (top left-hand sidebar) or simply click on the listen now button that appears at the beginning of every post on the site. Try it now!

Got movies on your mind? Not surprising since last night was the Academy Awards. But, have you ever entertained the idea of actually writing a movie? Previously, if you wanted to indulge in such a lofty pursuit--even just as a hobby--you first had to learn how to format a screenplay or buy expensive software to do the trick. No longer. Today there's a site called Scripped.com that will automatically format your screenplay for free! What's more, you don't even have to download it onto your computer--it works directly in your browser!

Want to learn more? Just head on over to their site for all the details! By the way, while their software automatically formats your screenplay, it won't write it for you. For that, you'll need to rely on your own inspiration and creativity! Best of luck!

Sunday night the 81st Annual Academy Awards Ceremony airs on ABC. Can't wait? Check out "Road to the Oscars" from Oscar.com:

If you're running Windows Vista on your computer and want to see a nice overview of its basic functions, you'll appreciate the video below. Confused by terms like "taskbar" or "desktop?" Not to worry--this demo, produced by Microsoft, should clear things up for you!

Demo: Desktop basics

Yes, Internet acronyms can be difficult to decipher--especially if you're a newbie. But let's face it, since they're ubiquitous in the World of the Web, it pays to be familiar with the most common ones at least. That's what today's quiz is about. How well do you know your 'Net acronyms? Let's see!

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #22

If you like the idea of using the Web to help out veterans in need (see: Have You Heard About The Wounded Warrior Project?"), you'll like the idea behind USAtogether.org. too. I first heard about this site in an article on CNN:

Tech gurus use power of Web to help veterans

According to the article, USAtogether.org is a new Web site where veterans list their needs--be it monetary or otherwise--in the hopes that someone--maybe you--will help. An interesting idea and yet another way the Web helps you help others in need.

What better way to spend President's Day than by exploring the historically significant documents of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln? And you don't have to travel to D.C. to do it--The Library of Congress has made it easy for you to access these special collections online! Just point your browser to the following:

George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress

Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress

These online exhibits feature thousands of digitized documents such as letters, diaries, drafts of speeches and more! A must-see destination on the Web for history buffs!

Happy President's Day!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and if you're going to be online at all, you might be interested in checking out a couple of sites that are perfect for the holiday. We profiled these sites last year at this time, and they're just as worth noting this year!

Here they are:

The History of Valentine's Day - At this special feature of the History.com Web site, you'll learn everything you always wanted to know about the history of this popular holiday.

Famous Celebrity Romantic Love Letters - Want to know how famous people throughout history expressed affection for their soul mates? You can read their love letters at TheRomantic.com.

All About Chocolate - The holiday just wouldn't be complete without mention of this magical confection. Part of FieldMuseum.org's Web site.

Got a site you think should be on this list? Leave it in the comments section!

Happy Valentine's Day!

For each question in today's quiz, you'll be asked to match a popular Internet service with the category it belongs in. Here goes:

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #21

If you have a computer running Windows Vista with Internet Explorer 7 and want to know what steps you can take to be more secure online, watch the video below. Produced by Microsoft, the video covers the basics of online security, like what you can do to protect yourself against identity theft and other malicious attacks that every Web surfer should be aware of. Oh, and it's presented in plain English!

Use Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7 to help protect yourself online

Click. Click. Double-click. Mouse over to the scroll bar, click and scroll down--whew! All that clicking and scrolling can be a pain in the, well--hand. Previously on The Senior Surfer we discussed some keyboard shortcuts that can give you a break. Here's another helpful one we forgot to mention--till now!

Did you know that no matter where you are on a Web page you can move right to the top of the page instantly by using the Home key on your keyboard? And if you want to immediately skip to the bottom of a page just use the End key. You'll find both of these on the right side of your keyboard. Try them out next time you get the chance--your hand will thank you.

Got a keyboard tip you want to share with our readers? Leave it in the comments section!

If you're like many people on the Internet today, you've been bitten by the social networking bug. You can't get enough of the type of sites that use the Web to make it easy to connect with your friends and family. But be careful, this bug not only bites-it can sting-if you don't have your guard up. To give you an idea of the type of dangers lurking in the social networking environment, read this cautionary tale that has garnered a lot of media attention recently:

Fears of impostors increase on Facebook (via CNN.com)

The article ends with a series of tips to help you avoid falling prey to scams on social networking sites. A must read for anyone concerned about social networking safety!

Question for discussion: Do you feel safe when you're on social networking sites? If not, what kinds of safety measures would you want the owners of these sites to implement? Sound off!

Today's quiz deals with some more Internet security terms you should be familiar with. See if you can get them all right!

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #2

Google Earth is at it again. Just when you think the program is the height of perfection, they go and try to improve it, and the results are nothing short of amazing. Want to use Google Earth to step back in time and see how a particular geographic area looked like in the past? Check. Interested in plumbing the depths of the deep blue sea? Check. Watch the Google produced video below to learn how to use these features and more from the latest iteration of Google Earth. You won't be disappointed!

Last year, around this time, we listed four sites that help you celebrate Black History Month online. They're just as valid this year-and we're adding one more we think you'll like for a total of five notable sites:

Museum of African American History

Black History Month - Infoplease

The African-American Mosaic Exhibition (Library of Congress)

Black History Month - The History Channel

Films Celebrating Black History Month at YouTube's Screening Room

And here's one of the films from the last site (YouTube's Screening Room).

Bring up the history of the Internet in conversation and you'll probably be met with more than a few groans. Not surprising, since it can be a pretty dry subject--except, of course, when it's not, like in this fascinating video from YouTube that manages to actually hold your interest with some creative animation while teaching you a thing or two about the history of the "Information Superhighway."

Yesterday's Super Bowl game will undoubtedly be considered a classic. But how about the Super Bowl ads? Any classics in the bunch? In case you missed them, or if you just want to refresh your memory, Hulu.com has made the commercials available online-and you can watch them right here at The Senior Surfer.

So, which one was your favorite? Sound off in the comments section!

Pages

Friday, February 27, 2009

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #23

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Monday, February 23, 2009

Friday, February 20, 2009

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #22

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Monday, February 16, 2009

Friday, February 13, 2009

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #21

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Monday, February 9, 2009

Friday, February 6, 2009

Test Your 'Net IQ - Quiz #2

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Monday, February 2, 2009