March Tournament Information

Click the image to enlarge.

Click the image to enlarge.

Click the image to enlarge.

Super Mario Brothers Wii Tournament a Wiild Success!

With a few bumps at the start, the first Chester County Library Jacobs Technology Center Wii Tournament was a rousing success – it was a SMASH!. Robert K., whose idea it was to hold the tournament said “It was a blasty blast! It wasn’t what I expected, it was better. I thought we’d have 32 players with maybe 20 to 25 people watching.”

Patrons started lining up at 9:30 AM (despite the fact that registration didn’t start until 11:00 AM) to grab a spot in line to be one of 32 contestants vying for the honor of being the first winner of the Wii Tournament. Like most events where the interest is high and where the rules are first-come-first-served, there were a few people who were unable to compete in the tournament especially since players started lining up when the library opened.

The tournament was limited to 32 players competing in a single elimination tournament. However, more than 100 people showed up to participate, watch, and cheer on the tournament players. Noise level was higher than normal for a library, but cheering for the players was encouraged and the audience certainly responded. Everyone had a blast.

Today’s tournament was the first of many more and the staff of the JTC has already changed the number of players for the next tournament (Saturday February 28, 2015) from 32 players to 64. Additionally the staff decided that registration will begin when the library opens (9:30 AM – still first-come-first-served) with tournament play starting at 10:30 AM in order to give everyone the same chance of participating in tournament play.

Sara L., the JTC supervisor, has invited the public to participate in the next tournament saying “Even if you don’t play, join us in cheering on the players.”  The next tournament should be just as fun (if not more so) than this one.

Default Paragraph Spacing – MS Word

Out of the box, the default paragraph line settings for Word are 1.15 lines (just a smidge more than single) with extra spacing after each line (see Figure 1). If you’re like me, you forget about this setting until you start writing a document and see a lot of space between each line. That means I have to click on the Line and Paragraph Spacing button in the Paragraph tab, click 1.0 (for single spacing), click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button again (since it closed as soon as single spacing was selected) and click “Remove Space After Paragraph”. But that means remembering to change the settings before you start typing. The good news is there is a way to set the default to single spacing, no space after paragraph. If you start with a blank document and you haven’t started typing yet, follow the next set of instructions and you won’t have to worry about the line spacing again – even for the current document. In the tool bar, click on the Change Styles button on the Styles Tab (right side of the bar – see Figure 2). Now click on the Paragraph Spacing button (see Figure 2). Now click the No Paragraph Space icon (see Figure 3). This will now set the current document to single space, no added spaces between lines.But wait! There’s one final step to accomplish if you don’t want to keep doing this reset for every document. Again click on the Change Styles button on the Styles Tab (see Figure 2) and click “Set as Default”.That’s all there is to it. From now on every document you open will start your paragraphs with single spacing and no added space between lines.

Recorded Workshops

Check out our new recorded technology and software workshops! Stay tuned for more.

Introduction to Microsoft Access, Part 1:

 

and

Transitioning from Windows XP to Windows 7

1 on 1 Tutoring Sessions

Interested in learning computer basics, but not ready to sign up for a class? Check out our blog’s new 1 on 1 tutoring section!

Online Learning Resources

If you’re here, you probably know that the library offers free computer and internet access to everyone. Let’s assume the unlikely case that you don’t already have some use in mind for our services. What might one accomplish using only the internet and a $1.25 set of headphones?

Enter the autodidact.

Google Tools Spotlight: Drive

Forgot your flash drive? Need a file that’s on your home computer? Never be without access to important files again! Drive is the perfect solution, just one of the many tools Google has to offer.

What is Drive?
Drive is a cloud based technology to store your files. You can upload files, save files (pictures, documents, etc.) from emails or create new files using Drive. Because it uses cloud technology, your files are accessible from anywhere you have access the internet (including your phone and/or tablet). You get 15 GB of free storage space and you always have the option to purchase more space if you need to. (1 GB is equal to approximately 130,000 single page text documents).

What kind of files can you create?
The types of files you can create on the Drive mirror and are compatible with many of the programs in the Microsoft Office suite. You can create text documents (Word), spreadsheets (Excel), slideshow presentations (PowerPoint), and drawings (Publisher). Drive also offers a file type called ‘Form’ which allows the user to create survey type files.

What is the advantage to using Drive?
One of the unique features of Drive is the option for real-time collaboration. Simply share the document with those you want to collaborate with and then have everyone open the document at the same time. To see an example of real-time collaboration, watch this example from the popular television show, 30 Rock.

How do I get started?
If you already have a Gmail account, you’re set. Simply click on the grid icon in the top right corner and click on the ‘Drive’ icon. If you don’t have an account, simply visit www.gmail.com and click the blue ‘Create an Account’ button in top right corner. (You don’t need to use the email function if you already have an email account elsewhere).

For more tips, tricks and other tools, download a copy of our Google Tools Handout.

 

 

How to burn CDs using Windows 7

Windows 7 made the process of burning CDs easier than any other version of windows.  Its as simple as drag and drop:

Step 1: Insert a blank CD into the CD Drive.  Close the Autoplay window that is displayed.

Step 2: Open Windows Explorer and note the drive letter associated with the CD burner, i.e. D:

Step 3: Open Windows Explorer, identify the files you want to copy, and drag them to the drive letter identified in step 2. For each file you drag to the drive, a window titled Burn a Disc with the heading “How do you want to use this disc?” will pop up – close the window.

Step 4: Repeat for every file you want saved on a CD (Note: most CDs have a limit of 750 megabytes so be careful not to drag too many files to the drive letter since Windows will not tell you that you have exceeded the capacity of the CD until you try to burn the CD)

Step 5: Once you have dragged all your files to the drive identified in step 2 and with Windows Explorer still open, left click on the drive letter from step 2.  A window will pop up titled Burn a Disc with the heading “How do you want to use this disc?”  Click the radio button “With a CD/DVD player” – for more information on the difference between the two choice, click on the link “Which one should I choose?”.

Step 6: Click Next.

Step 7: In the window now displayed towards the top left hand side you will now see “Burn to disc” – click this label.

Step 8: Wait for the burn to complete – this may be a long step so be patient.

5 simple tips for using your iDevice

Did you know?

 

• Did you know that some iDevices do not charge when you connect them to some USB docks or even certain ports on some notebooks? If your USB dock doesn’t plug into a power outlet, chances are it won’t have enough power to charge your device.

• Did you know that you can take a screenshot with your iDevice by holding down the home button and pressing the power button? You will see the screen flash if you’ve done it correctly. Taking a screenshot is basically taking a picture of whatever is on your screen.

• Did you know that you can turn on caps lock on by tapping the shift key twice on the on screen keyboard? If you have to type a whole word or sentence in capitals this could save you a bit of time.

• Did you know that on your iPad you can type an apostrophe without having to go to the second screen of the on screen keyboard? If you press and hold on the comma/exclamation point button it will type an apostrophe. Perfect if you like correct contractions.

• Did you know you can zoom in on websites and some apps? To do this all you need to do is place two fingers close together on your device then slide them apart without taking them off the screen. This one is a lifesaver for reading small print or clicking on smaller links.

For more iDevice tips and tricks you can search google.

Printing a Calendar in MS Publisher 2010

You can easily design and print your own calendars in MS Publisher. It’s not only cheaper, it’s also more personalized. These calendars can be printed already filled in with the events that are important to you.