MalekTips: 01-10-2006
 
Welcome to the latest issue of the MalekTips newsletter, providing computer and technology help and tips. We appreciate your subscription!
 
We have 30 new tips found below in the latest issue of MalekTips.
 
* Are Twinkies sentient? These and other burning questions can be answered in one of our "Sites to Browse". Also, print out a listing of the top grossing USA films of all time, but adjusted for inflation. Display optical illusions that trick your eyes into seeing what is not truly there. And, find out if your birthday shares that of a famous celebrity.
 
* Just what exactly is a 'camera phone' and what kind of pictures can it take? Plus, if you already have or are planning to purchase a camera phone, learn some tips for taking better photos. Keep your phone as steady as possible. Use someone else's flash capabilities if your phone lacks this feature. Plus learn how bracketing your photos can help increase the chances of taking a good picture.
 
* Get more out of the Yahoo! Search engine. Use the search box as a calculator. Display synonyms to aid your writing. Find out the local time all over the world so you don't accidentally call someone at midnight. Track shipped packages. And, learn about Yahoo!'s network of websites.
 
* Plus, this newsletter contains tweaks for the IrfanView 3 photo viewer and editor such as how to use less memory by disabling the 'undo' feature, RealPlayer tweaks including enabling DVD parental control and storing multimedia links in your Favorites, and Opera 8 web browser tips to disable tooltips and pop-up blocker notifications, among others.
 
Note that "Twinkie" is a registered trademark of Interstate Bakeries Corporation.
 
Remember - if you have a computer question, be sure to visit the MalekTips forums at http://www.malektips.com/forums
 
Andrew Malek MalekTips.Com
 
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* Tips! *
 
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Camera Phone - What is a Camera Phone?
What exactly is a 'camera phone' and what kinds of pictures can they take?
 
Camera Phone - Keep your Camera Phone Steady
Keeping your camera phone steady can result in clearer photos.
 
Camera Phone - Don't Have Flash? Use Someone Else's!
'Borrow' someone else's flash if your camera phone lacks that feature.
 
Camera Phone - Keep Your Lens Clean
Keep your camera phone's lens clean to prevent spots on your photos.
 
Camera Phone - Bracket Your Photos
Take multiple exposures of the same subject with your camera phone to help increase the chances of a good photo.
 
IrfanView 3 - Show the Image's Full Path in the Title Bar
If you manipulate images in multiple directories, keep track of file locations better inside IrfanView.
 
IrfanView 3 - Show Images in Full-Screen (Kiosk) Mode
Remove the Windows Taskbar and other toolbars and status bars when viewing images and photos in IrfanView.
 
IrfanView 3 - Keep the ESC Key from Closing IrfanView
Perform this tweak to stop accidentally closing IrfanView when pressing the ESC key.
 
IrfanView 3 - Toggle Viewing Hidden Files and Folders
Have IrfanView display files and folders not normally visible.
 
IrfanView 3 - Disable Undo When Modifying Large Images
Is IrfanView sluggish, especially when manipulating large images? Throw caution to the wind and disable undo functionality, decreasing memory usage.
 
Opera 8 - Hide Images While a Site is Loading
Is a webpage taking too long to display due to large images loading? Stop this with Opera 8.
 
Opera 8 - Stop Notifying Me When Pop-Up Windows are Blocked
Prevent Opera 8 from announcing that its pop-up blocker works. Let it block pop-ups silently.
 
Opera 8 - Designing Websites for Small Screen Devices?
Simulate small screen devices in Opera 8 when testing designed webpages.
 
Opera 8 - Disable Tooltip Help
Expert Opera 8 users - this tweak keeps tooltips from displaying.
 
Opera 8 - Copy Webpage Text Directly to a Note
Insert webpage text directly into an Opera 8 note without having to manually cut-and-paste.
 
RealPlayer - Enable DVD Parental Controls
Help prevent children from using the computer to watch PG-13 or NC-17 rated DVDs.
 
RealPlayer - Don't Show the Media Browser Upon Open
Open RealPlayer 10.5 in a smaller Player view without the Media Browser taking up much of the screen.
 
RealPlayer - View Playback Down to the Tenth of a Second
View detailed RealPlayer multimedia playback statistics of the current clip.
 
RealPlayer - Keep Track of Favorite Clips or Web Pages
Like Internet Explorer, RealPlayer has a Favorites tool that can store links to desired webpages or multimedia clips.
 
RealPlayer - Toggle Automatic DVD Playback
Toggle whether or not RealPlayer should open whenever DVDs are inserted into your computer.
 
Sites to Browse - Twinkies Experiments
University students performed a series of odd and amusing experiments involving Twinkies snacks.
 
Sites to Browse - Mr. Picassohead
Put together a Mr. Potato Head-like creation online based loosely on the works of Picasso.
 
Sites to Browse - How Much Money Did a Movie Really Make?
View the USA box office returns of movies, adjusted for inflation.
 
Sites to Browse - Optical Illusions
Your eyes will play tricks on you when viewing these optical illusions and other phenomena.
 
Sites to Browse - Do You Share Your Birthday with a Celebrity?
Curious if your birthday shares that of a famous actor, ex-US president, sports hero, or other celebrity?
 
Yahoo! Search - Use Yahoo! As a Calculator
Perform basic mathematical calculations from the Yahoo! Search box.
 
Yahoo! Search - Display Word Synonyms
Yahoo! Search can act as a thesaurus to help aid your writing.
 
Yahoo! Search - Navigate the Yahoo! Network
Quickly jump around the various websites that compose the Yahoo! Network.
 
Yahoo! Search - Display the Local Time
Show the current time in London, New York, Sydney, or wherever.
 
Yahoo! Search - Track a Shipped Package
Display the delivery status of packages shipped via FedEx, UPS, or the United States Postal Service (USPS).
 

 
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* Copyright Notice *
 
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MalekTips is published by Envision Programming:
 
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This issue of MalekTips is Copyright 2006 Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. All other copyrights and trademarks are properties of their respective companies.

Note that due to tip recategorization, some of the URLs mentioned in the newsletter may have changed. If you have any problems finding a particular tip, use the MalekTips "Search" feature to conveniently find what you are looking for.