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Showing posts from February 5, 2012

Double Duty

So, you know those funny words you have to try and read when you fill out an online form?  That is called a captcha and they were designed to help combat Spam robots (called bots) that go around the internet and fill out forms much to the dismay of the website owner. So to make you identify that you are a human, they came up with these forms. Now some of these little letter pictures are helping save books. Watch the video below about ReCaptcha. I bet you will never look at these annoying forms quite the same again.

Mouse and Key Clicks

If you double click on a word in a document, online or in email, it highlights it so it can be deleted, copied or modified. Triple-clicking a word will highlight the entire section or paragraph.  Same thing for double  and triple clicking on the URL in our browser. It makes it easier to delete. The squiggly line character is in the upper left-hand portion of your keyboard is called a tilde (pronounced "till-deh"). Want to delete something without it going into the recycle bin? [SHIFT] + [Del] will give you a delete confirmation box. Clicking ‘Yes’ (be sure this is what you want to do!) will delete the file bypassing the Recycle Bin. In many software programs you can use [CTRL] + [Z] to undo the last action.  [CTRL] + [Y]  will let you redo the action. Want to drop down on a web page without having to scroll or use your mouse on the side bar? You can press the [Space Bar] to scroll down one screen. Add the [Shift] key to scroll back up to where you were on the page.

Income Tax: Capital punishment

Ok, you should have all your W-2 forms (due to be sent by January 31st by employers) and soon to receive your bank or broker 1099 forms. Its now time to pull together your tax documents to drop off at the tax preparer or to handle your own through e-file or even regular filing via the mail by this year’s filing deadline, April 17. About 77% of Americans are now filing online, often receiving their 79 million refunds, electronically deposited, just a couple of weeks after filing.  So, does it cost money? It depends. It is worth checking out your options.  You can visit the IRS website for a listing of various free e-file companies. Link: Free File Companies on the IRS Website.  If you qualify for EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit), an active duty military with an AGI (adjusted gross income) of $57,000 or less, or has an AGI of $31,000 or less, you can use TurboTax Online Tax Freedom Edition . There is also a TurboTax Free file for the 1040EZ & Simple Federal Tax Returns.

Straighten Up!

Have you considered ergonomics in your office or home work space?  I noticed that to have my feet on the ground, my chair needs to be pretty high (I have long legs for my height). As a result, I had to look down at the monitor, rounding my shoulders and putting greatly stressing my neck and spine. It creates a serious risk of pinched nerves and a permanent hunched look as I grow older. So I purchased computer monitor stand to raise my monitor slightly and improve my view. This was a pretty inexpensive change that makes a significant impact on my health. It also benefits my relationship with my chiropractor as it improves my tight muscles in my neck and shoulders! ☺ More than 80 percent of neck and back problems are the result of tight, aching muscles brought on by years of bad posture, the Massachusetts Chiropractor Association reports. It doesn't cost an arm and a leg for a decent chair.  If you aren't using a proper chair, head over to Staples and try out some of the

Faster! Faster!: Speed Reading

When I was in high school, as part of our English class, we has a few weeks of a speed reading course. This has really beneficial in reading textbooks and articles (and less beneficial when I read novels and finish them quickly). The idea is to increase your speed by breaking the brain-ear connection, no longer listening to the inner voice reading each word individually. Did you know that the average adult score is around 300 WPM for people who have moderate abilities and college students who are considered to be “exceptional” readers have scored more than 800 WPM on online speed reading tests. I clock in at around 750 WPM.  Of course, I am slower when reading a novel.. I like to hear those little voices. ☺ I highly encourage you to improve your reading skills. Your children will benefit even more from this training. There are a number of free products online.. our wonderful resource. http://www.free-speed-reading.com/ - This site has some great tools online and even review s