All about the internet
Here are some tips on how to organise things as regards using
the internet, plus some links to some useful websites…
Making Google (or another website) your home page
Click on this link to Google
Click on Tools on the top toolbar.
Now select Internet Options
Select Use current > Apply > OK
While you’re on Internet Options, spring-clean your temporary
internet files (including Cookies), and if you wish, your History
of visited websites.
To alter the print size on the internet pages …
Press down the Ctrl (Control) key on your keyboard, and
scroll the wheel on your mouse, one way or the other, or use
the plus and minus keys on your keyboard.
The address / URL box (at the top of the internet page) …
you can type or copy & paste website addresses into this box.
Use www. As a prefix.
Click on the little blue arrow at the edge of the URL box, to
see your previous searches.
Creating your list of Favourites...
To save a website you’d like to revisit …Click on Favorites, on
the top toolbar, and then Add, to add this web page to your
favourites column.
Alongside Add is Organize … click on this to create yellow
folders for your favourites. Have a go at using a right sided
mouse click on a favourite or a yellow folder, and see what
options that will give you. You can also drag and drop a favourite
site into a yellow folder, to tidy up the column.
The inner vertical edge of the Favorites column is movable – just
click on it and drag it left or right with your mouse.
Google searches ..
You can narrow your search by putting quotation marks around
a couple of words, and by using the minus sign …
eg “Manchester City” (minus sign) football ….
and by ticking the box for UK searches only.
Press the Enter key on your keyboard, or click on the Google Search
box
To search for the meaning of a word or a phrase, use this format …
“xxxxxx xxxxxxx” = meaning
Other Search Engines …
Yahoo UK
MSN UK
Ask UK
Quintura … a wiki/cloud/neural network
Dogpile … a metasearch site
Searchmash … a mash-up (being developed by Google)
Wikipedia UK
Have a look at local history sites on this, places you’d like to
visit (plus the typical weather there), and the UK airports
(to see where you can fly to). Lots of useful IT information
here too.
Some information may be inaccurate … anyone could alter
the content in a malicious way (though moderators keep watch
on the content). The section on George Bush has been
ring-fenced off.
Google Scholar for academics …
there is also a link to this on on the main Google page.
Maps
Multimap UK
Google Maps UK
AA
Upmystreet ... read a profile about your neighbours
(here is a link to what mine are like)
I use Multimap for journey planning --– it will give you routes,
distances and journey times from A to B
Google Earth … download this for some fun.
The navigation tools allow you to zoom in or out, to move or
tilt the page, and also to swing the page around from looking
North to South. You’ll need Broadband and a fairly new computer
for it to work (see these specifications).
Yell dot com … look for businesses (there are maps on this)
Royal Mail site … for postcodes
BT site … for Directory Enquiries ... it's free!
The BBC site
To listen to radio online, you’ll need to download
Real Player (search for this on the BBC site, follow the instructions
on how to download it for free. Avoid ticking the box for using
Real Player for video … I think Windows Media Player is better.
You can listen to live broadcasts and “listen again” to broadcasts
in the previous week (so you can catch up with The Archers if
you’ve been away on holiday). You can’t listen again to Desert
Island Discs unfortunately.
Here is the page for BBC Radio 4.
Stuck for a recipe? Put “carrot cake” into the search box and see
how many recipes you can find.
TV & radio listings … the Radio Times is online.
That’s all, folks!
