Winnefox Library System The Ides of
October 1998

Internet Tip | Windows 95 Tip | Useful URL o' the Month 
Fun URL o' the Month | Recipe o' the Month

E-MAIL TIP

Have you ever needed to send a message to many people, yet wanted to save them having to wade through a screen-full of addresses? If so, try "Blind Carbon Copy", or Bcc, to send your message. This is the same trick I use to e-mail the Ides to everyone!

If you're using Pine,

  1. Press C to compose
  2. With the cursor in the message header area (at the top where you see the To: field), press the Ctrl and R keys
  3. The message header will expand to show additional fields, including Bcc (this is called a "rich header")
  4. in the Bcc field enter either the "nickname" for a distribution list you've created, or all the e-mail addresses necessary
The recipients listed under Bcc will receive a copy of the message, but there should be nothing in the message header that indicates a Blind Carbon Copy was sent. The To and Cc recipients won't know a copy was sent to the other Bcc recipients.

In Netscape 3.x's e-mail you can find the Bcc option when you call up your address book, or within Message Composition you can press "View" and click on "Mail Bcc" so it shows up when you're creating a message. In Netscape 4.x you can click on the "To:" to get a drop down box of choices, and then click on "Bcc". Other e-mail software packages should have the Bcc option as well, so click around and I bet you'll find it there too.

INTERNET TIP

If you've ever tried to print a web site and gotten the message "No pages to print", here are some steps you can try:

  1. Use Print Preview, which can "force" your browser to show the page
  2. In Page Setup choose Black Text and Black Lines. This works when your printout is blank because it tried to print a page with white text on a black background.
  3. When printing a framed web site, make sure you've made a mouse click somewhere in the frame you want to print; now Print Frame is an option.
  4. Windows 95 users can press the Alt and Print Screen keys. Even though it looks like nothing's happened, you've actually copied the screen to the Clipboard. Next, open Paint (Start|Programs|Accessories|Paint) and press the Ctrl and V keys to paste the copy you just made. Now you can use Paint to print the web page.
  5. Some pages offer a "printer friendly" version (for an example, compare printing a C|net page in regular mode versus the same page in a printer-friendly version.

WINDOWS 95 TIP

Most PC keyboards have an extra key called the Windows key. Many keyboards have two of them, located on either side of the spacebar, in between the Ctrl and Alt keys.

A lot of us don't notice them until we hit one by mistake and the Win95 start menu pops up. However, there are actually several other Windows key shortcuts that you can use to simplify your tasks. Here's a list of all the Windows95 key shortcuts:

Keystrokes Effect
Windows Displays taskbar and Start menu
Windows + E Starts Windows Explorer
Windows + F Finds files or folders
Ctrl + Windows + F Finds a computer
Windows + M Minimizes all windows
Shift + Windows + M Undoes Minimize All Windows
Windows + R Displays the Run dialog box
Windows + Tab Cycles through the taskbar buttons
Windows + Break Displays the System Properties sheet

If this tip was no surprise to you, try the Top Ten Surprises in Windows '98.

USEFUL URL O' THE MONTH

This month I'm listing not just one URL, but four web sites that offer a new "breed" of Internet search service. These now offer the ability to retrieve text as well as images, sound, video and animation in a single search. Three of these are CNN Media Search, Hollywood Online, and PBS Online.

In addition, AltaVista has now launched the "first video search engine available on the Web." Using new technology that "watches, listens, and reads videos, the Virage Video Cataloger automatically extracts relevant information to create searchable indexes in real-time." One may search video files by keyword and then view selected segments.

The web site currently features four hours of President Clinton's video testimony to a grand jury last month. According to The Search Engine Report, they were able to capture the video testimony and its closed-captions when it was broadcast on C-SPAN. "The closed-caption text was converted into HTML files, which in turn were associated with 158 video clips. AltaVista then used its search engine technology to index the HTML files, allowing users to find specific text and then view the associated video clip."

FUN URL O' THE MONTH

The Modified Librarian web site exists to "provide a forum for the discussion of body modification in the context of librarianship." Here you'll find photos and stories of library workers who have tattoos and pierced ears, as well as other pierced bits.

Any "illustrated" library workers who have body modifications are invited to participate in the project. You can send a photo or scan a photo, and scanning the modified body part is also a possibility (but please refrain from using the library's scanner to scan your arm!)

RECIPE O' THE MONTH

is Gobblin' Goblins.

For even more ghoulish tricks and treats, check out these Halloween Recipes.

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This page was last updated October 15, 1998

The Ides is written by Joy Schwarz.
Please direct any questions, comments or recipes to schwarz@winnefox.org

URL: http://www.winnefox.org/ides/idesoct98.html