Previews of Movies on Demand coming to a Road Runner connection near you

Psst..I just got the inside scoop from our sponsors that you’ll be able to view trailers and previews of Movies on Demand on your Road Runner page. Word is that you’ll be able to go to www.rr.com and click on buttons to preview what’s available on demand.

I think this is a cool feature. Lots of times when I’m having lunch at my desk I like to see a short movie or two. And if I can click through and watch the previews, well, that gives me something entertaining to watch and I know that I can go back home at night and actually buy the movie.

Verizon subscribers may miss out

This article in the Advertiser was brought to my attention and if you’re a Verizon user you may want to look into it a little closer:

Subscribers of Verizon Hawaii’s digital high-speed Internet service will lose free firewall and virus protection services on May 15, unless they register for the service.

MSN Premium, which now is provided free of charge, will remain free for another six months to those who register, after which regular monthly charges of $9.95 a month will apply.

Well, I guess we’ll all find out how valuable MSN Premium was. My suggestion is that if you weren’t taking advantage of the free firewall and virus services, don’t bother. And even if you were, I’d consider buying something like Norton Internet Security from Symantec which is showing on their online store for $49.95. Subsequent years will cost you about $20 (based on the rebate they’re giving this year for existing users)

Disclosure: Your Computer Minute is sponsored by Road Runner so you’ll have to excuse the shameless (but true) plug that follows.

Of course the folks over at Road Runner are ready to take you under their wing and give you free firewall and anti-spam software so if you’re mad-as-hell this might be a good time to switch.

Still going through the fat Yellow Pages book?

Listen to this tip using a RealMedia player Listen to this Tip

Are you still slogging through a thick yellow page book every time you need to find a business? If you have a high-speed, always on connection, finding the business you’re looking for is faster, easier, and only a mouseclick away if you use an online yellow page service. I personally use the one at Yahoo and its really awesome as it also gives me driving directions to the listing. The local phone company also has an online version. Its takes a little bit of getting used to the new habit, but trust me when I say that once you’ve switched to using the online yellow pages instead of the fat yellow books, you’ll never go back. Of course this won’t work well if you have dialup because you have to take the time to connect but if you have a high speed, always online connection, using electronic yellow pages is faster and easier than ever before. But you gotta try it to feel it and believe it.

Use your favorite Podcatcher to automatically download new tips as they come! Subscribe to the Podcast

Make your computer’s wallpaper the inspirational thought of the day

Listen to this MP3 tip Listen to this Tip

Aloha, I’m Peter Kay with Your Computer Minute. Everyone likes to use motivational “thought of the day” type of things around their desk right? Some people use calendars, others use posters, and some people use post-it notes to capture meaningful little thoughts that help remind us of what is really important in our life. Have you ever thought about using that computer screen you stare for hours at a time? That’s right! Your computer can become a motivational tool! Bet you never thought of that, didja? Well that’s why I’m here. You see, you probably already have a screensaver installed on your computer that allows you to display text messages as well as graphics on the screen. Use the screensaver’s feature that lets you type in a personal text message. Make this message your little thought for the day and voila! The next time your screensaver kicks in you get the motivational message. Try it! It really works!

Use your favorite Podcatcher to automatically download new tips as they come! Subscribe to the Podcast

Using Microsoft Word for Outlining

Listen to this tip using a RealMedia player Listen to this Tip

Did you know that Microsoft Word has an awesome tool to help you create and organize new ideas? Most people use Word for typical word processing, but do you use its powerful outlining features? Hit the F1 key, look up “outlining”, and you’ll find a powerful tool that I use for a whole bunch of different reasons. Outlines help me create great documents by helping me transform raw ideas into well-structured thoughts. Anytime I need to take notes in a conversation, instead of using paper, I fire up a copy of Word in outline mode. I find that I can easily capture lots of ideas yet have the flexibility later to organize them into action plans. The best part is that since I entered my notes in Word to begin with I don’t have to worry about filing or losing paper! I know that if you check out outlining in Word, you’ll find a great tool waiting to help you work better and faster.

Use your favorite Podcatcher to automatically download new tips as they come! Subscribe to the Podcast

Using voicemail to store notes while you’re on the road

Listen to this MP3 tip Listen to this Tip

When you’re on the road and you need to make a note of something, do you reach for a pad and pencil? You do? While you’re driving? Really? Hey, look, there’s a much better and safer way! Use your cellphone and leave a message on your own voicemail! Then when you get back into the office its easy to transfer those notes into an action plan. Getting in the habit of leaving voicemails to yourself is super handy because you can do it anytime and anywhere assuming you’ve got a cellphone. You’ll never need to be near pencil and paper again! And if you want to join the Peter Kay master of cool technology club, you’ll take the extra step to program your cellphone with a one touch speedial that lets you record messages with just one button. Now that’s cool (and lets not forget safe!).

Use your favorite Podcatcher to automatically download new tips as they come! Subscribe to the Podcast

Using the right-click mouse button

Listen to this tip using a RealMedia player Listen to this Tip

Hey Windows users, have you noticed that your mouse has two buttons? Have you ever used the other one? Do you use it a lot? If you want to increase your productivity with most Windows applications, get in the habit of doing what’s called a “right-click”. By clicking on the right-hand side button on your mouse (lefties, use the left-hand button), you can access a special menu of common operations or shortcuts. Most of the time the menu option you want is easily available on the right-click menu and you can save lots of time instead of using the normal menu bar. You’ll also find that the right-click menu will change based on where your mouse is pointing on the screen, so be sure to try this operation in different areas of your current window. You’ll find that the operation you want to perform is usually right there and much easier and faster for you to use. Happy right-clicking!

Use your favorite Podcatcher to automatically download new tips as they come! Subscribe to the Podcast

Using shift-F3 with Word

Listen to this tip using a RealMedia player Listen to this Tip

If you use Microsoft Word, I’ve got a quick tip for you. One of the most common, yet tedious operations is capitalizing words. It’s a hassle! You have to delete the character, only to re-type it again in caps. There’s a much better and faster method and here’s how it works. Move your cursor over a word you want to capitalize, then hold down the shift key while pressing F3. We call this a shift-F3. You’ll notice that your word has automagically become capitalized. If you do a shift-F3 again, the entire word turns to all caps. Hit shift-F3 one more time, and the whole word gets changed to all lowercase. Using shift-F3 is a great little tip and if you get in the habit if using it you’ll save lots of time. I’m sure you’ll want to give it a try.

Use your favorite Podcatcher to automatically download new tips as they come! Subscribe to the Podcast

Using the Alt-Tab Buttons

Listen to this tip using a RealMedia player Listen to this Tip

If you run more than one program at time on your computer, I’ve got a great tip for you. These days people typically run Outlook, Excel, and Word while they are surfing the Web at the same time. But how do you switch between these programs? Some people click on a window. Others might click on the toolbar. The best way to switch is to do an Alt-Tab. Here’s how it works. Hold down the Alt key, then press and let go of the Tab key. A window will pop up showing you a list of all the programs you’re running. Now if you keep hitting the tab key, you’ll see a little box move from program to program. Once you let go of the Alt key, Windows will immediately switch you to the program you’ve selected. Practice this technique and you’ll be switching between programs like a pro.

Use your favorite Podcatcher to automatically download new tips as they come! Subscribe to the Podcast

User-oriented Web sites

Listen to this MP3 tip Listen to this Tip

If you are involved with your company’s Web site in any way, listen closely. The strategy and thinking behind many corporate Web sites is typically based on what the company wants Web visitors to do or know. Many times I’ll hear people say, “we want users to learn about this”, or “we need to make the user do such and such”. Folks, this does not work and it will never work. Why? Because the Web site is not in control, the user is! Think about how you surf the Web. You go to a certain Web site because you have a job to do and if you can’t get that job done, you are outta there, right? So make your company’s Web site great by understanding what users might want to do and then make it easy and fast for them to get that job done. The better you do that, the more your site’s business will grow.

Use your favorite Podcatcher to automatically download new video and audio tips as they come! Subscribe to the Podcast and automatically download new video and audio tips as they come!