Rebecca, my wife, found this on a teacher’s computer at her school this morning. It looks nasty. I’m posting it here so that others can see what an infected computer could look like.

I snapped this on a student’s computer screen the other day. Needless to say he was confused.

Gotta love technology sometimes!

I’ve included lots of examples for importing data generally into a database plus clear instructions specifically for Microsoft Access 2003. I am particularly pleased with the final version.

Data File Formats covered include:

• Comma-Separated Values (CSV)
• Plain Text (TXT)
• Spreadsheet (ODS, XLS)
• Tab-Delimited (TAB)

Visit http://www.box.net/shared/e81oxeyk43 to visit my online storage and download this new Powerpoint presentation for use with your Computer Applications I classes.

http://www.shapecollage.com/

This is a very cool new web application. Very cool indeed. You supply the photos and it creates a collage of them in any shape you like – solid shapes, outlines, text, whatever.

If you ever played Nintendo games then click on the Nintendo Logo Collage above for the full version and reminesce! For other example collages visit the Shape Collage Gallery.

I just found a new fake web site thanks to SciGuy Eric Berger. You’re gonna love this one.

• http://www.HurricaneFightingMachines.com/

I particularly love his comment about part #12 in the image.

For example, no. 12 is … wait for it … a casino. Which actually makes sense.

Because if you’re building one of these you’d better be prepared to throw your money away.

It’s right up there with:

• Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie
• California’s Velcro Crop Under Challenge (1993)
• Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division
• Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
• The Dog Island
• The Society for DNA Free Food
• The British Veterinary Voodoo Society

Know of any other good ones? Leave a comment and I’ll add them to this list.

Source: Google Image Swirl.

Ever spent hours searching for that just-right image? Well, Google has a solution for you. It’s called Google Image Swirl. It’s a little hard to describe so you should simply try it out, but I can already see myself using it to quickly find that just-right image for whatever I’m doing.

So…

Step 1: Search for something.
Step 2: Click on a picture that resembles what you’re looking for.
Step 3: Repeat step 2. If you get stuck, backtrack by clicking a previous image.

I have begun posting powepoint presentations for spreadsheets. I am following along with my vocabulary to do this.

I make no promises regarding how much or how often I will post, but it has begun. Enjoy!

Web Site: QR-Code Generator.

A QR-Code is an image somewhat like a bar code that can encode a link to a web site, phone number, or even a short text message. They look like this:

Image Source: http://www.stevelaube.com/the-wave-of-digital-creativity-in-books/

According to the site above,

What makes these unusual is that with the right app on a phone you can take a picture of the image and it will then take your phone immediately to the web site embedded in the barcode. The QR technology is very big in Japan.

Given the concept of convergence with regards to cell phones wherein more and more features are added until that single device “does it all”, this apparently is the next thing to be added. A cool concept nonetheless.

Are you having trouble with your students incorrectly formatting addresses and phone numbers? I seem to recall learning the proper format for addresses in 2nd grade. Today’s students seem to have missed that lesson and it’s required knowledge for producing publications in objective 3.02 of Computer Applications I. So, I put together a PowerPoint presentation to share information about proper formatting with my students.

Note that the official USPS information on the web shows address information on letters and envelopes in all caps and without punctuation. This presentation teaches students the more common mixed-case format with limited punctuation which is more suitable for publications like business cards. Examples from the PowerPoint presentation:

Dr. Tom Jones, Sr.
213 Maple St
Berry, NC 28772

Tom Jones
MacroFab Corporation
2282 Main St Ste 16
Durham, NC 28772-9900

Open Microsoft Word 2003 and do the following:

1. Select [Tools] > [Letters and Mailings] > [Envelopes and Labels...]
2. Select the [Labels] Tab
3. Type your label in the space provided.
4. Choose “Full page of the same label” in the options below.
5. Click the default label in the options area below (it’s clickable though it doesn’t look it) and select your label type.
6. Click [New Document] to preview your labels, save, and print.